



<^ 9<. 



& 



f.^'o.% 



^%<^' 



v^*^■.,%'"•'' v^*^^■.-%'»"* v^*^•.,%'°•'%^^ 








<V5 ^ 







-X 
. "^. 






y T- .« '■-! »_ ''.^ 












O ^(/) 



,^<p. 






^^-S^ 



^..N^ 



<, V • ^ "-^ V^ ^ ^ * ^ '^ V 









> 




\ 




MEMORIALS 



OF THE 



Society of the Cincinnati 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



BY 



FRANCIS S. DRAKE. 




BOSTON: 
PRINTED FOR THE SOCIETY. 

1873. 



-a 






Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, bj' 

THE MASS. SOCIETY OF THE C1^•CI^•^•ATI, 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at "V^'afhiiigtoii. 



CAMliRIDGE: 
I'KESS OF JOHN WILSOX AXD SON 



:2^ o > C. 



Extract from the Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Massa- 
chusetts Society of the Cincinnati. 

July 4, 1871. 
On motion of Samuel C. Cobb, " A committee of three, to con- 
sist of Messrs. Homans, Williams, and Lothrop, was appointed 
with full authority to make the necessary arrangements, and to 
employ such person or persons as they may think expedient for 
the publication of a new edition of the Institution and Pro- 

CEKDINGS OF THE MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY OF THE CINCIN- 
NATI, up to the present time, including a revised and correct 
catalogue of the present members, the expense attending the same 
to be paid from the funds of the Society." 

Subsequently, on motion, Mr. Cobb was added to, and made the 
chairman of, the Committee. 



•Kommitttf of ^3ubltcation. 

Samuel C. Cobb. Charlks D. Homans. 

Samuel K. Lothkop. Alexander Williams. 



Y/ 



P R E F A C E. 



*' I ^HE original members of the Society of the Cin- 
-*- cinnati having long since passed away, — and 
few even of the second generation remaining to oc- 
cupy their places, — it seems tit and proper that 
their successors should gather up their scattered 
records and place them in a permanent and acces- 
sible form. Not only is it due to them as members 
of this time-honored association, but their claim 
rests upon a far higher and broader ground, that of 
having been among the founders of our republic, 
and the achievers of our national independence. 

In preparing this volume, the writer has been 
obliged to glean from many and various sources. 
The Kevolutionary rolls and papers at the State 
House have been drawn upon ; the Society's archives 
have been thoroughly examined ; letters, diaries, and 
other papers in the possession of descendants of 
original members have been consulted ; many printed 
volumes, including files of old newspapers, have been 
searched for any scrap of information, however slight, 
which might be of use ; and the collections, printed 
and in manuscript, relating to family history and gen- 



VI PREFACE. 

ealogy, in the library of the New-England Historic 
Genealogical Society, have been freely used and have 
been of material assistance in the preparation of the 
biographical portion of the work. That no traces 
of some of the original members have been found is 
matter of regret, and is doubtless owing to their early 
decease without descendants, or to their having emi- 
grated to the AVest. 

The memoir of General Knox has assumed larger 
proportions than was originally intended, partly be- 
cause of the importance of the subject, and partly 
from the abundance of the materials furnished by 
his grandson, the worthy President of the Society. 
Another no less important reason is that no biog- 
raphy of that distinguished man has hitherto been 
published ; and it has seemed but just, therefore, that 
the Society which he founded should recognize in 
this manner their obligation to his memory. It 
should be borne in mind in reading Knox's letters 
that the greater part of them exist only in the origi- 
nal rough drafts, and hence occasional inaccuracies 
and ungrammatical expressions will be noticed, which 
the letters themselves would probably not contain. 

Having linished the task assigned him, the author 
cannot refrain from congratulating the Society upon 
the fact that its timely action has been the means of 
collecting and preserving the records of so many of 
its original members. To this result My. Samuel 
C. Cobb, the Chairman of the Committee on Publi- 
cation, and Mr. Alexander Williams, one of its 



PREFACE. Vii 

members, have essentially contributed : the former, 
by procunng the action of the Society in the prep- 
aration of the memorial volume; and the latter, by 
his successful efforts to enrich and embellish it with 
portraits of its members. To both these gentlemen, 
who have in many ways been helpful, as well as 
to the other members of the Committee, and to all 
who have aided him in his labors, the author returns 
his grateful acknowledgments. 

Boston, 11 June, 1878. 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



/gen. WASHINGTON tofacp the title 

/eight pages KNOX'S ORIGINAL DRAFT 6 

i BARON STEUBEN 18 

4 MAJOR-GEN. HENRY KNOX 91 

BIRTHPLACE OF GEN. KNOX 93 

n/HOME of GEN. KNOX 195 

V CAPT. LOUIS BAURY 222 

V A. L. BAURY, D.D 223 

\ GOV. JOHN BROOKS 237 

J GEN. HENRY BURBECK 245 

J MAJOR-GEN. DAVID COBB 258 

^ LIEUT. EBENEZER DAVIS 275 

^ CHARLES S. DAVEIS, LL.D 279 

4 GOV. WILLIAM EUSTIS 299 

,, JOHN HOMANS, M.D 336 

J GEN. AVILLIAM HULL 341 

>/ GEN. HENRY JACKSON 360 

^ MAJOR JOHN LILLIE 373 

^ GEN. BENJAMIN LINCOLN 375 

^ REV. SAMUEL KIUKLAND 387 

A JOHN PICKERING, LL.D 421 

-I COL. J. W. SEVER 447 

J MAJOR SAMUEL SHAW 451 

J ROBERT G. SHAW 455 

[ JOHN C. WARREN, M.D 498 

TWENTY PAGES AUTOGRAPHS 567 



CONTENTS. 



PAfiE 

Historical Sketch of the Society 3 

Annals of the Massachusetts Society 45 

Memoir op General Henry Knox 91 

Biographical Notices of Members 209 

Officers of the General Society 521 

Officers of the Massachusetts Society 522 

Honorary Members 523 

Members of other Societies, joining by Removal and Residence 523 

Members elected, Admission not completed 524 

Monthly Pay of Revolutionary Officers 524 

Address of Present Members 525 

Act of Incorporation 528 

By-Laws and Rules 530 

Ballots cast at the First Election 533 

Extract of a Letter from Jefferson 534 

Members of the French Society 535 

Bibliography of the Cincinnati Society 537 

Paddock's Artillery Company 541 

Instructions to Henry Knox 544 

Inventory of Cannon, &c 544 

Knox's Artillery Regiment, 16 Mai-ch, 1770 54(3 

Disposition of Troops at New York (Aug. 9-27, 1776) . . 547 

Order of March to Trenton 547 

Defences of the Delaware, 9 Aug. 1777 549 

Opinion upon Storming Philadelphia, 26 Nov. 1777 . .■ . . 550 



CONTENTS. 

Ordnance for the Siege of Yorktown o52 

Address of the Army to Washington, 14 Nov. 1783 .... i^^iS 
Thanks of the Governor and Council of New York to Knox, 

18 Dec. 1783 554 

Letters of Knox to La Fayette 555 

Letter of Washington to Knox, 28 Feb. 1785 556 

Extracts of Knox's Letters to Washington on the Fomnation 

of the Federal Government, &c 557 

Knox's Estimate of his Annual Expenses in 1785-1787 . . , 563 

Strictures upon General Knox 563 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 



"VJINETY years ago, at the cantonment of the Ameiican 
army at Newburgli, on the picturesque banks of the 
Iliidson, an impressive scene was being enacted. After 
an eight years' contest, independence had been won ; and 
though its terms had not lieen definitely settled, and Sir 
Guy Carleton still held the city of New York, the pre- 
liminaries of peace had been signed. 

The war-worn veterans who had for so long a period 
successfully breasted the bayonets of a numerous and dis- 
ciplined foe, and who, half fed, ill clad, and worse paid, 
had, many a time and oft, encountered and vanquished 
those still more terrible enemies, poverty, hunger, and 
disease, — notably at Valley Forge, — these patriots, wor- 
thy of the eternal gratitude of posterity, were to be dis- 
banded, each to be remanded to the farm or M^orkshop he 
had quitted, many with broken health and ruined constitu- 
tions, and nearly all penniless and destitute. 

This was the sorest trial they had yet experienced, — the 
thought that all their sacritices and sufferings were to 
remain unrequited by that country whose safety and in- 
dependence they had secured. Its gross injustice, no less 
than its ingratitude, was almost too much, even for such 



4 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 

tried and approved patriotism as theirs. They naturally 
looked forward with solicitude to the carving out of a new 
career in an impoverished country, after the long disuse of 
hand and brain in the arts of peace, for which camp life 
had in a measure unfitted them : and they gave way to 
feelings of gloom and despondency. 

In this hour of darkness and dismay, while their just 
demands for arrearages of pay were met by a temporizing 
policy and complaints of an exhausted exchequer on the 
part of Congress, the turbulent and mutinous spirit of 
the camp was excited to the most dangerous pitch by 
the famous " Newburgh Addresses." 

The anonymous writer, since known to have been Major 
John Armstrong, after i)ointing out Avith great skill and 
eloquence the grievances of the army and the failure of all 
its efforts for their redress, proposed a last remonstrance to 
Congress, presenting to it this alternative : " If peace, that 
nothing shall separate you from your arms but death. If 
war, that, courting the auspices and inviting the direction 
of your illustrious leader, you will retire to some unsettled 
country, smile in your turn, and mock when their fear 
Cometh on." 

It is at this critical moment that the character and 
influence of Washington stand out most conspicuously. 
With exquisite tact and judgment he determined to guide 
and control the threatening storm, and, at the meeting 
called by his order at the same time and place as that 
proposed in the paper above alluded to, he read an address, 
so clear and convincing in its style and so dignified and 
patriotic in its sentiments as to calm the general agitation, 
and which, transmitted to Congress, produced the passage 
of resolves, on the 22d of March, 1783, commuting the 
half pay for life to five 3'ears' full pay at the close of the 
war. An interesting incident occurred at this meeting. 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. O 

When Washington rose to read his address, the most pro- 
found silence pervaded the assembly. As he put on his 
spectacles he said, " You see, gentlemen, that I have not 
only grown (jray but blind in your service." This simple 
remark under such circumstances had a powerful effect 
upon the assemblage. 

Such was the posture of affairs, and such were the con- 
tending emotions in the breasts of the army, when the 
association was formed which, to mark their veneration 
for that celebrated Roman between whose situation and 
their own they found some similitude, they denominated 
" The Society of the Cincinnati." 

Judge Marshall, in his " Life of Washington," thus 
describes the emotions and feelings which gave it birth : — 

" Of the sentiments with which the officers of the American 
army contemplated a final separation from each other, those only 
can be incapable of forming an idea who are strangers to* the 
choicest feelings of the hnman heart. Conspicuous in virtuous 
suffering, in danger, and in glory, attached to each other by com- 
mon exertions made in a severe struggle for the attainment of a 
common object, to part for ever they deemed a calamity too afflicting 
to be supported. The means of perpetuating those friendships 
which had been formed, and of renewing that endearing social inter- 
course which had taken place in camp, were universally desired ; 
. . . some expedient which might preserve the memory of the 
army, while it cheered the officers who were on the point of sepa- 
rating with the hope that their separation would not be eternal ; 
that at distant intervals they might still communicate with each 
other, that the bonds by which they were cemented would not be 
totally dissolved, and that for many beneficent purposes the ])atri(jts 
of the American army would still form one great society." 

The first question concerning the order — its paternity 
— is now definitely settled. It has been variously ascribed 
to General Knox, Baron Steuben, and Caj)tain Shaw. The 
supposed share of the latter in its production arose from 



b HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 

the fact that, as secretary of the first meeting to consider" 
it, he made the cojiy of the Institution which Colonel Pick- 
ering long afterward remembered to have seen in Shaw's 
handwriting, and which led him to assign to Shaw the 
authorship. 

That Steuben was not its originator is sufficiently shown 
by his own letter, given upon a subsequent page, and by 
the subjoined proof. 

Among the original papers of General Henry Knox now 
in the possession of his grandson, Rear-Admiral Thatcher, 
is one in the handwriting of Knox, a facsimile of which 
is here given, indorsed " Rough draft of a society to be 
formed by the American officers and to be called ' the 
Cincinnati.' West Point, 15 April, 1783." It covers 
eight foolscap pages and exhibits various erasures and 
interlineations, but is in substance the same as the present 
institution. 

Knox was therefore unquestionably the founder of the 
Society. " Ever noted for generous impulses," says Mr. 
Irving, " he suggested as a mode of perpetuating the 
friendship thus formed, and keeping alive the brotherhood 
of the camp, the formation of a society composed of the 
officers of the army. The suggestion met with universal 
concurrence and the hearty approbation of Washington." 

That the idea was not new to him is shown in the fol- 
lowing extract from the diary of Jefferson : — 

"March 16, 1788. — Baroa Steuben has been generally sus- 
pected of having first suggested the idea of the self-styled Order of 
Cincinnati. But Mr. Adams tells uie that in the year 1770 he had 
called at a tavern in New York to dine just at the moment when 
the British army was landing at Frog's Neck. Washington, Lee, 
Knox, and Parsons came to the same tavern. He got into conver- 
sation with Knox. They talked of ancient history; of Fabius, who 
used to raise the Romans from the dust; of the present contest, &c. ; 
and Knox, in the course of conversation, said he should wish for 



i/h tlAl,t^uJ^I~ 






•'/C 









•■ e^ /•7>t-^^ 









/L^^^.n^,i^ /n^iU^ ^;^/L^ d-^'^ ^4«^3^^«s^:; 



/^tfc l£-^H^*1t,'-^T.ft^* 






^yWj^^u^ /^.^<**t<l*t^»»w. /^U^t^t-y ^*J^.^.^ <^-*<««^.»*^ 










't2 






J^ui^ /^■^y ^«-t<«^ ^e- ^ '"« <^^^'^ i f ii» <^/ « ai^^i fc >M-> 



./ 



^^/ fC/^i^" /^/ ^1 



- ^ /'^•>-Vf: 






,/ 



/'^i <f<^^«^ ''a^/^^tTTc^ y>V^i-<ji?^,£-' Pf^tJ-i-ih^t^c " /^^)t^x-'i '^^ 




'^^^i/^i^~ 



/ 



^^i,t,t.e^ C<-i-i^-^ 



'>& /«- 1-»^ €^-^f O'^ttZ- ^tc^^^L^ 









CL^^' 










.«2Ls^^,^;„^ ^V.^ /,^«^ /6«^ ^-^X^ 



Cf-C 



. y^^ >st^^ 






,,^^^/^,/^/^/ ^i^^^^^-n^ 



'•***J^ 



,/^ ^" V • 



//^ 






"/ 



y -^^ ^-LZ A-^r^ ^..^<X_ Ldc^^ ^ ^ 



-^. 



-;%^/'x^ 









$ '. . ' y '/►^ts; ■«'^;^l--^'i, /,,;-,_*y^\ ^'ieitff/fci^^W^ ■ / ^,^ 



fcUoA- 



^^t^^i^^P' 



U*„^ a^. 



'/ik^ f,^t.<iti^i. 



. ' 'S3 



4tri- /i.^..^ /■^Lt^^^ /'i^-^-^' /i-^^/i^^^ 






:0iZ*^^ — J^J^J:^ '^v^'t!^ ^^t^-^y /^e-u/i4 n^^^t" 






/ /// 




















■^L^Bi 






t<to< ^^ . 






YTT^ 



/7 



'yV^J ^^5***, A^ .<?*u^ 



«^- -^^ 



J, 



.i>«S^. 






■,"'> 



3 






.^ 









■^. 



/w^.v^ A^^^^''^ 









k^ 












'^2<«-^ fu^ S ^ - ^^ —yr C IC^^ ^tl.Zj^ ^t^ii^,L ^<.6/^ ^/^"u ^ Wr^\ ■; 

_^-i'L^/<^ /'w /it::, -i^/'.^^z-r ^^,^> V^/*»-7-_ 'y^t^/z-'^r^ <f/it^^ 



S. 



i-'/^'/A-*-.- -A-'^.^A? >'.-t^,^ e<-fcC \,.'.,^- 



'^f 






' ' ■' ' -7. 



'/Ix^ 7/^uJ^' 







0"' ■ ;t- ^N^ M 






SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 7 

some ribbon to wear in his hat or in his button-hole, to be trans- 
mitted to his descendants as a badge and a proof that he had fouglit 
in defence of their liberties. He spoke of it in such precise terms 
as showed he had revolved it in his mind before." (Comp. Works, 
ix. 367.) 

This was some months previous to Steuben's arrival in 
America. 

Dr. Gordon, who was a correspondent of the General, 
says in his "History of the American Revolution : " — 

" General Knox, with the good intention of reconciling the minds 
of his military brethren to the private life on which they were soon 
to enter, projected the plan before the circulation of the anonymous 
papers through the army in March, 1783. When the dangerous 
design of these had been frustrated b}'^ the prudence of the Com- 
mander-in-Chief, Knox imparted his proposals to certain officers, 
and afterwards to the several regiments of the respective lines." 

On May 10, 1783, a meeting of the general officers, and 
one officer from the line of each regiment, was held at the 
cantonment on Hudson River, Baron Steuben presiding, 
and proposals for establishing the Society were considered. 
They were referred to a committee, consisting of Major- 
General Knox, Brigadier-General Hand, Brigadier-General 
Huntington, and Captain Shaw. 

This report, in the handwriting of Shaw, their secretary, 
made three daj^s later, was unanimously accepted, and the 
Institution as revised by them was carried into complete 
effect with little opposition, and is still in force. It is as 
follows : — 



HISTOllICAL SKETCH OF THE 



INSTITUTION. 



" It having pleased the Supreme Governor of the Universe, in 
the disposition of human affairs, to cause the separation of the 
colonies of North America from the domination of Great Britain, 
and, after a bloody conflict of eight years, to establish them free, 
independent, and sovereign states, connected, by alliances founded on 
reciprocal advantage, with some of the greatest princes and powers 
of the earth ; 

" To perpetuate, therefore, as well the remembrance of this vast 
event, as the mutual friendships which have been formed under the 
pressure of common danger, and, in many instances, cemented by 
the blood of the parties, the otficers of the American army do, 
hereby, in the most solemn manner, associate, constitute, and com- 
bine themselves into one society of friends, to endure as long as they 
shall endure, or any of their eldest male posterity, and, in failure 
thereof, the collateral branches who may be judged worthy of be- 
coming its supporters and members. 

'' The officers of the American army, having generally been taken 
from the citizens of America, possess high veneration for the char- 
acter of that illustrious Roman, Lucius Quintius Cincinnatus ; 
and being resolved to follow his example, by returning to their 
citizenship, they think they may with propriety denominate them- 
selves 

THE SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 

"The following principles shall be immutable and form the basis 
of the Society of the Cincinnati. 

" An incessant attention to preserve inviolate those exalted rights 
and liberties of human nature for which they have fought and bled, 
and without which the 'high rank of a rational being is a curse 
instead of a blessing. 

" An unalterable determination to promote and cherish, between 
the respective states, that union and national honor so essentially 
necessary to their happiness and the future dignity of the American 
empire. 



/ 
SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. () 

"To render permanent the cordial affection subsisting among the 
officers: This spirit will dictate brotherly kindness in all things, and 
particularly extend to the most substantial acts of beneficence, 
according to the ability of the society, towards those officers and 
their families who unfortunately may be under the necessity of 
receiving it. 

"The general society will, for the sake of frequent communica- 
tions, be divided into state societies, and these again into such dis- 
tricts as shall be directed by the state society. 

" The societies of the districts to meet as often as shall be agreed 
upon by the state society, those of the states on the fourth day of 
July, annually, or oftener, if they shall find it expedient, and the 
general society on tiie first Monday in May, annually, so long as 
they shall deem it necessary, aud afterwards, at least once in every 
three years. 

" At each meeting the principles of the Institution will he fully 
considered, and the best measures to promote them adopted. 

" The state societies will consist of all the members resident in 
each state respectively ; and any member removing from one state 
to another is to be considered, in all respects, as belonging to the 
society of the state in which he shall actually reside. 

"The state societies to have a president, vice-president, secretary, 
treasurer, and assistant-treasurer, to be chosen annually, by a ma- 
jority of votes, at the state meeting. 

" Each state meeting shall write annually, or oftener, if necessary, 
a circular letter to the other state societies, noting whatever they may 
think worthy of observation respecting the good of the society or 
the general union of the states, and giving information of the officers 
chosen for the current year. Copies of these letters shall be regu- 
larly transmitted to the secretary-general of the society, who will 
record them in a book to be assigned for that purpose. 

" The state society will regulate every thing respecting itself and 
the societies of the districts consistent with the general maxims of 
the Cincinnati, judge of the qualifications of the members who may 
be proposed, and expel any member who, by conduct inconsistent 
with a gentleman and a man of honor, or by an opposition to the 
interests of the community in general, or the society in particular, 
may render himself unworthy to continue a member. 

" In order to form funds which may be respectable, and assist the 

2 



10 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 

unfortunate, each officer shall deliver to the treasurer of the state 
society one month's pay, which shall remain for ever to the use of 
the state society ; the interest tmly of which, if necessary, to be 
appropriated to the relief of the unfortunate. 

" Donations may be made b^' persons not of the society, and by 
members of the society, for the express purpose of forming perma- 
nent funds for the use of the state society, and tiie interest of tliese 
donations appropriated in the same manner as that of the month's 
pay. 

" Moneys, at the pleasure of each member, may be subscribed in 
the societies of the disti-icts, or the state societies, for the relief of 
the unfortunate members, or their widows and orphans, to be appro- 
priated by the state society only. 

" The meeting of the general society shall consist of its officers 
and a representation from each state society, in number not exceed- 
ing five, whose expenses shall be borne by their respective state 
societies. 

"In the general meeting, the president, vice-president, secretary, 
assistant-secretary, treasurer, and assistant-treasurer general, siiall 
be chosen, to serve until the next meeting. 

" The circular letters which have been written by the respective 
state societies to each other, and their particular laws, shall be read 
and considered, and all measures concerted which may conduce to 
the general intendment of the society. 

" It is probable that some persons may make donations to the 
general society, for the purpose of establishing funds for the further 
comfort of the unfortunate, in which case such donations must be 
placed in the hands of the treasurer-general, the interest only of 
which to he dis[)Osed of, if necessary, by the general meeting. 

" All the officers of the American army, as well those who have 
resigned with honor, after three years' service in the capacity of 
officers, or who have been deranged by the resolutions of Congress, 
upon the several reforms of the army, as those who shall have con- 
tinued to the end of the war, have the right to become parties to 
this Institution ; provided that they subscribe one month's pay and 
sign their names to the general rules, in their respective state 
societies, those who are present with the army immediately, and 
others within six months after the army shall be disbanded, extra- 
ordinary cases excejited ; the rank, time of service, resolution of 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 11 

Coni:fress hy whicli any have been deranged, and place of residence, 
must be added to each name ; and as a testimony of affection to the 
memory and the offspring of such officers as have died in the ser- 
vice, their eldest male branches shall have the same right of be- 
coming members as the children of the actual members of the 
society. 

" Those officers who are foreigners, not resident in any of the 
states, will have their names enrolled by the secretary-general, and 
are to be considered as members in the societies of any of the states 
in which they may happen to be. 

" And as there are, and will at all times be, men in the respective 
states eminent for their abilities and patriotism, whose views may 
be directed to the same laudable objects with those of the Cincin- 
nati, it shall be a rule to admit such characters as honorary members 
of the society, for their own lives only; provided always that the 
number of honorary members in each state does not exceed a ratio 
of one to four of the officers or their descendants. 

" Each state society shall obtain a list of its members, and at the 
first annual meeting the state secretary shall have engrossed on 
parchment two copies of the institution of the society, which every 
member present shall sign, and the secretary shall endeavor to pro- 
cure the signature of every absent member ; one of those lists to be 
transmitted to the secretary-general to be kept in the archives of 
the society, and the other to remain in the hands of the state secre- 
tary. From the state lists the secretary-general must make out, at 
the first general meeting, a complete list of the whole society, with 
a copy of which he will furnish each state secretary. 

" The society shall have an Order by which its members shall be 
known and distinguished, which shall be a medal of gold, of a proper 
size to receive the emblems, and suspended by a deep blue ribbon 
two inches wide, edged with white, descriptive of the union of 
France and America, viz. : — 



12 HISTOEICAL SKETCH OF THE 

" The principal figure 
k 

C I N C I N N A T U S, 

Three senators presenting him with a sword and other military ensigns ; 

on a field in the background, his wife standing at the door of their 

cottage ; near it a plough and instruments of husbandry. 

Round the trliole, 
OMNIA KELIQUIT SERVARE REMPUBLICAM. 

On the reverse. 

Sun rising ; a city with open gates, and vessels entering the port. 

Fame crowning Cincinnatus, with a wreath inscribed, 

VIRTUTIS PREMIUM. 

Below, 

Hands joined, supporting a 

heart, witii the motto, 

ESTO PERPETUA. 

Round the whole, 

SOCIETAS CINCINNATORUM INSTITUTA 

A. D. 1783." 

The society, deeply impressed with a sense of the generous as- 
sistance this country has received from France, and desirous of per- 
petuating the friendships which luive been formed, and so happily 
subsisted, between the officers of the allied forces in the prosecution 
of the war, direct that the president-general transmit, as soon as 
may be, to each of the characters hereafter named, a mednl contain- 
ing the order of the society, viz. : — 

His Excellency the Chevalier de la Luzerne, Minister Pleni- 
potentiary, 

His Excellency the Sieur Gerard, late Minister Plenipoten- 
tiary, 

Their Excellencies — 

The Count D'Estaing, 
The Count de Grasse, 
The Count de Barras, 
The Chevalier de Touches, 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 13 

Admirals and Commanders in the Navy, 

His PLxcellency the Count de Rochambeau, Commander-in- 
Chief, 

And the generals and colonels of his army, and acquaint them 
that the society does itself the honor to consider them members. 

Resolved, That a copy of the foregoing Institution be given to 
the senior officer of each state line, and that the officers of the re- 
spective state lines sign their names to the same, in manner and 
form following, viz.: — 

" We, the subscribers, officers of the American army, do hereby 
voluntarily become parties to the foregoing Institution, and do bind 
ourselves to observe, and be governed by, the principles therein 
contained. For the performance whereof we do solemnly pledge 
to each other our sacred honor. 

" Done in the Cantonment, on Hudson River, in the year 1783." 

That ihe members of the society, at the time of subscribing their 
names to the Institution, do also sign a draft on the paymaster-gen- 
eral in the following terms (the regiments to do it regimentally, and 
the generals and other officers not belonging to regiments, each for 
himself, individually), viz.: — 

" To John Pierce, Esquire, Paymaster- General of the United States. 

" Sir, — Please to pay to treasurer for the 

state association of the Cincinnati, or his order, one month's pay 
of our several grades respectively, and deduct the same from the 
balance which shall be found due to us on the final liquidation of 
our accounts, for which this shall be your warrant." 

That the members of the several state societies assemble as soon 
as may be, for the choice of their president and other officers ; and 
that the presidents correspond together and appoint a meeting of the 
officers who may be chosen for each state, in order to pursue such 
further measures as may be judged necessary. 

That the general officers, and the officers delegated to represent 
the several corps of the army, subscribe to the Institution of the 
general society, for themselves and their constituents, in the manner 
and form before prescribed. 

That General Heath, 

General Baron de Steuben, and 
General Knox, 
be a committee to wait on his excellency the commander-in-chief, 



14 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 

with a copy of the Institution, and request him to honor the society 
by placing his name at the head of it. 

That Major-General Heath, second in command in this army, 
bi^ — and he hereby is — desired to transmit copies of the Institu- 
tion, with the proceedings thereon, to the commanding officer of the 
Southern army, the senior officer in each state, from Pennsylvania 
to Georgia inclusive, and to the commanding officer of the Rhode 
Island line, requesting them to communicate the same to the officers 
under their several commands, and to take sucii measures as may 
appear to them necessary for expediting the establishment of their 
state societies, and sending a delegation to represent them in the 
fij'St general meeting, to be holden on the first Monday in May, 
1784. 

The meeting then adjourned without day. 

Major L'Enfant, an accomplished engineer and drafts- 
man, furnished the designs for the decorations, which were 
executed in Paris under his supervision. The insignia of 
the Order is a bald eagle of enamelled gold, bearing upon 
its breast a niedallion charged as follows : on the obverse 
the principal figure is Cincinnatus ; three senators present 
him wi'th a sword and other military ensigns ; he is reclin- 
ing upon his plough, and at his side are minor implements 
of husbandry. On the reverse, the sun rises over a city 
with open gates, vessels are seen entering the port, and in 
the midst Fasne crowns Cincinnatus with a wreath in- 
scribed " Virtutis prcemiutn.'" Below, hands joined support 
a heart, with the motto, '■'■Esto peiyetua.^'' The whole is 
pendent to a blue ribbon edged with white, descriptive of 
the union between France and America. Around the 
principal charge is the legend, " Omnia relinquit servare 
vempuhllcajny 

This meeting was held at Steuben's head-quarters ; and 
at a subsequent meeting held at the Cantonment on June 
19, 1783, his Excellency the Commander-in-chief was 
requested to officiate as President-general until the first 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 15 

General Meeting, to be held on the first Monday in May, 
1784. At the same time, Major-General McDougall was 
elected Treasurer-general, and Major-General Knox Secre- 
tary-general. 

The place of assembly — the new building at the Can- 
tonment — had been struck by lightning a few nights be- 
fore the meeting during a violent storm, and its flag-staff 
shivered ; " an event," says Alexander Johnston, " omi- 
nous of the storm brewing from another quarter against 
the Cincinnati." 

Necessarily exclusive, the association at once excited the 
hostility of those who envied the fame of its members ; of 
the civilians who could have no place in its ranks ; and of 
theorists at home and abroad, who feared it might jeopar- 
dize the social and political equality they anticipated for 
the republic. The chief opposition it encountered, how- 
ever, was on account of the hereditary succession to its 
membership. The assault was, as usual in such cases, 
more active than the defence ; and a strong feeling was 
aroused against the Society both in Europe and America. 

Some of the officers themselves refused to join the 
Society on account of its anti-democratic character ; and 
General Heath, whom General McDougall irreverently 
styled the " Duke of Roxbury,"' tells us that he " hung 
back for some time," and only came in "lest it should be 
said to his posterity that their ancestor was guilty of some 
misconduct which deprived him of his badge." He was 
opposed to any insignia or badge of distinction, asserting 
that it would only serve to mark them in an unfavorable 
light with their fellow-citizens ; never met with the 
Society, and subsequently wrote to the Secretary-general 
to erase his name from the Institution. 

Before proceeding to consider the objections of its oppo- 
nents, let us see what Knox himself says of its intention 



16 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 

and of its first reception. He writes thus to his friend, 
General Lincohi : — 

" West Point, 21 May, 1783. 

" Impressed with the belief that you were expected in camp 
every day, I have omitted to write to you for some time past. 

"I wanted to converse with jou upon many thiiifrs, among which 
is the establishment of the Society, the proposed Institution of which 
is contained in the enclosed paper. The intention is pure and un- 
corrupted by any sinister design ; the sole objects, the union of tlie 
States, as far as the humble influence of the othcers may extend, 
and to erect some lowly shelter for the unfortunate against tlie 
storms and tempests of poverty. 

" Peruse it with this view, and let me know your opinion. 

" The Commander-in-chief and almost all the officers are warmly 
in favor of it, and the matter will be executed by the corps here in 
a few days. Our friend General Heath is, however, to be excepted 
from the number. With a sagacity peculiar to himself, he thinks 
through the mist he sees spirits and hobgoblins of liideous forms, and 
no popularity. 

" How shall we get your signature ? " 

Colonel John Trumbull, the painter, having applied for 
admission to the Society, and suggested his desire to fur- 
nish for it a suitable device, Knox writes him as follows : — 

" West Point, 5 July, 1783. 

"I am happy that you approve of the Society of the Cincinnati. 
I am certain that there cannot be a dissentient voice to your ad- 
mission, and luive mentioned the matter to General Huntington, 
who will propose you at the next meeting of the Society of the State 
of Connecticut, of which he is president. 

" Perhaps we have been too hasty in the adoption of tlie medal ; 
but we have made an addition lately designed by M. L'Enfant, of 
the Corps of Engineers. It is the bald eagle, with the emblems of 
Cincinnatus upon his breast. There is a beauty in the design, as 
the bald eagle is peculiar to America, and is the crest of the arms 
of the United States. It is j^ossible, however, that your friend Mr, 
West, whose mind has been in the habit of thinking upon these sub- 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 17 

jects, may strike out something still more rich and beautiful. I 
shall therefore be under obligations to you to remember the matter, 
and if you could engage him in it, to transmit me the result, which 
I will lay before the Society." 

Washington, in a letter to the Count cle Rochambean, 
dated 29 Oct., 1783, speaks of the institution of the Cin- 
cinnati in these words : — 

" Sir, — The officers of the American array, in order to perpet- 
uate that mutual friendship which they contracted in the hour of 
common danger and distress, and for other purposes which are men- 
tioned in the instrument of their association, have united together in 
a society of friends under the name of Cincinnati ; and, having 
honored me with the office of president, it becomes a very agreeable 
part of my duty to inform you that the Society have done themselves 
the honor to consider you and the generals and officers of the army 
which you commanded in America as members of the Society. 

" Major L'Enfant, who will have the honor to deliver this letter 
to you, will execute the Order of the Society in France, amongst 
which he is directed to present you with one of the first Orders that 
are made, and likewise with Orders for the other gentlemen of your 
army, which 1 take the liberty to request you would present to 
them in the name of the Society. As soon as the diploma is made 
out, I will have the honor to transmit it to you." 

The most important published attack upon the Cincin- 
nati in the United States was made by Judge JEdanus 
Burke, of South Carolina, in a small pamphlet of twenty- 
eight pages, which appeared in October, 1783, with this 
title, " Considerations on the Society or Order of Cin- 
cinnati," &c., by Cassius ; with the epigraph, " Blow ye 
the Trumpet in Zion." 

This ably written tract was designed to awaken the 
apprehensions of the people and to direct their resent- 
ments against the Society, and recommended legislative 
interference. 

3 



18 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 

" Perceiving in the order," says Judge Marshall, in the work 
already quoted, " the foundation of an hereditary order, whose base, 
from associating with the military the chiefs of the powerful fami- 
lies in each State, would acquire a degree of solidity and strength 
admitting of any superstructure, he portrayed in that fervid and 
infectious language which is the genuine offspring of passion the 
dangers to result from the fabric which would be erected on it." 

The astute South Carolinian could discern appalling 
dangers lurking within this brotherly and beneficent 
association, — a peril wholly imaginary ; yet he failed to 
see the real danger to the republic in the aristocratic 
class of planters around him, — a class which in our day 
became all-powerful, and which from this same State of 
South Carolina sounded the tocsin for a convulsion which 
seriously threatened the life of the nation, shaking it to 
its very centre. 

This piece produced a profound impression. Committees 
of some of the State legislatures reported adversely to the 
organization ; that of Massachusetts declaring it " danger- 
ous to the peace, liberty, and safety of the Union," while 
Rhode Island threatened with disfranchisement such of her 
citizens as were members of the Society.* The Governor of 
South Carolina, in a speech to the Assembly, pointed out 
its dangers, and exhorted them to vindicate themselves 
from the reproach of having fought, not for the deliver- 
ance of their country, but for the attainment of honors 
and gaudy distinctions. Its effect upon Steuben is suffi- 
ciently apparent in the following characteristic letter from 
the baron to Knox : — 

* Tlie statement of Mirabeau, that Rhode Island did actually disfranchise 
such of her citizens as were members of this Society, has been frequently 
repeated by American writers ; but a careful examination of the archives of 
that State shows the assertion to be erroneous. 




GEN BARON STEUBEN 
feam aTL origiul pjctnre. in the TJe^T York OrtT-BdILi 



^ 



cc^v.o-n 



o/^ VZ^^^^^ 



// 



^n<i/ 



SOCIETY or THE CINCINNATI. 19 

"Schuylkill, Nov. 11, 1783. 
" A 9a, Monsieur Le Cincinnatus ! your pernicious designs are 
then unveiled, — you wish to introduce duJies and peers into our 
republic ? No, my Lord, no, your Grace, that will not do : there 
is a Cassius more for-sighted than this Gei'man baron, of whom you 
have made a cat's-paw to draw the chestnuts out of the fire. Cas- 
sius knows only a part of the secret. He makes me author and 
grand master, thus whipping you over my shoulders. But listen ! I 
will prove to Cassius that this dangerous plan had its birth in the 
brain of two Yankees ; i.e., Knox and Huntington : therefore, 

' Blow ye the Trumpet in Zion.' 

" We know very well these Bostonians and the people of the 
Holy Land, who beneath a Presbyterian and modest air conceal 
the most ambitious designs. Cassius does not know all the danger. 
When I shall tell him that the young marquis Henry Knox is 
already promised in marriage to a Princess of Hyder AH, and that 
the young Countess of Huntington is to marry the hereditary 
Prince of Sweden, that the King of Spain wishes to accept the 
place of Treasurer of the Order, then 

' Blow ye the Trumpet in Zion.' 

" See the pamphlet of Cassius — read it — tremble ! 

" You have sent L'Enfant to France to procure some Gold 
Eagles ; but you have forgotten to give him some coppers for his 
tavern expenses. Mr. R. Morris, General Greene, and myself 
have made a credit of six hundred dollars, without which the ambas- 
sador of the Order would have made his entree into the Philadel- 
jjhia jail; but at present he is hunting for Eagles. 

" Some discontented chevaliers who returned to France have 
for a long time declaimed against American honesty. To con- 
tradict this calumny, the royal corps has been sent to France, 
and, to engage them to employ their eloquence to speak w^ell of us, 
they are sent without salt or meal. Judge what a fine picture they 
will draw^ of our republic ! I hope Armand * will also be sent as 
richly laden ; and I assure you we are well caricatured at the 

* Charles Armand Tufin, Marquis de la Kouarie, known in the American 
service, in which he commanded a legionary corps, as Colonel Armand, was 
afterward a leader of the Frencli Eoyalists of Brittany, Anjou, and Poitou, 
and died Jan. 30, 1793. 



20 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 

Horse-guards. Our reputation will be well established in France. 
As for Germany, that will be ray atFair. I love you too well, you 
American dogs, to speak all the evil of you that you merit. My 
respects to madam, your wife. 

" I am yours, Steuben." 

" Burke's pamphlet," says Alexander Johnston in his account of 
the Society, published as " Contributions to American History," 
ill Vol. VI. of " Memoirs of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania," 
" met with a prompt reply. But the zeal of some of its advocates 
carried them beyond the bounds of discretion. At the annual meet- 
ing of the New York Society a demonstration was made that was 
prompted by all the spirit of opposition. On this occasion they 
determined to initiate the honorary members who had been newly 
elected by the ceremony of a formal investiture.' The assembly 
room at the city tavern was the scene of the solemnity. The out- 
side of the house was decorated with festoons and crowns of laurel ; 
opposite the door of entrance, on a dais tapestried with blue cloth, 
was elevated a great chair of state covered with light blue satin, 
fringed with white ; at the back of this was a staff supported by two 
hands united holding up the cap of liberty, which was again grasped 
by the eagle of the Order, bearing on a white fillet the motto, ' We 
will defend it.' At each extremity of the room amphitheatres were 
erected for the spectators. 

" A deputation, consisting of four members dressed in their uni- 
forms and wearing their eagles, first waited on the Governor of the 
State and the President of Congress with the congratulations of the 
Society on the anniversary of American independence. After their 
return with the report that they had been received with all the at- 
tention due to the dignity of their Order, the ceremony commenced. 

" The foreign members and such as belonged to the other societies 
had already taken their seats on the left of the chair. The kettle- 
drums and trumpets, an important part of the performance, were 
stationed in the gallery over the door, and the amphitheatres were 
filled with spectators, when the standard-bearer. Captain Guyon, in 
full continental uniform, wearing his order, and escorted by four 
members also in full dress, entered the hall and took his position in 
front of the dais. He held in his hand the standard of the Society. 
It was wrought in silk, displaying the eagle upon thirteen alternate 
stripes of white and blue. 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 21 

" The escort returned, and led by the masters of ceremony the 
procession then entered the hall. First came the members two and 
two, followed by the secretary, Captain Pemberton, carrying the 
original Institution of the Society. Then came the treasurer Gen- 
eral Van Cortlandt, and his deputy, Major Piatt, bearing two satin 
cushions, on the first of which were displayed the eagles, and on the 
second the diplomas for the elected members. These were followed 
by the vice-president, General Schuyler, and the president, Major- 
General Baron de Steuben, who brought up the rear. At his 
entrance the standard saluted, and the kettle-drums and trumpets 
gave a flourish which continued until, passing through the avenue 
now formed by the members opening to the right and left, he 
mounted the steps and took his st^at upon the chair of state. 

" When this was done, Colonel Hamilton, soldier, orator, and 
state?man, pronounced the inaugural address, after which the cere- 
mony of investiture commenced. 

" The recipient was conducted by one of the masters of ceremony 
to the first step before the chair of the president, and the standard- 
bearer approached. After expressing a desire to be received into 
the Society, and promising a strict observance of its rules and stat- 
utes, he grasped the standard with his left hand, while with his 
right he signed his name to the Institution. The president then 
took one of the eagles from the cushion held by the treasurer, and 
invested the recipient in the following words : ' Receive this mark 
as a recompense for your merit, and in remembrance of our glorious 
independence.' Next handing him a diploma, he said, ' Tiiis will show 
your title as a member of our Society. Imitate the illustrious hero, 
Lucius Quintius Cincinnatus, whom we have chosen for our patron ; 
like him, be the defender of your country and a good citizen.' 
Another flourish of drums and trumpets completed the ceremony, 
and the new member was introduced to the Cincinnati at large, who 
rose in a body to salute him. This was succeeded by a brilliant 
festival, which amidst salvos of artillery terminated the day." 

Mirabeau, the celebrated orator of the French Revolu- 
tion, in the advertisement to his " Considerations on the 
Order of Cincinnatus " (London, 8vo, 1784), says : — 

" I never printed any thing before the present work under a name 
which my father has rendered it difficult for me to bear. . . . The 



22 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 

Society of the Cincinnati was originally hereditary, and remained so 
at the time when I began to write. The members have since given 
up that part of their institution. But, as I trust, I have myself 
demonstrated that the consequences of their institution are still the 
same, that their dignity will still continue to be hereditary in opinion, 
which is the true seat of nobility, and that if tiie Cincinnati be suf- 
fered to subsist it will be impossible to prevent tl>*iir becoming at 
least perpetual ; and as the part of this work which concerns the 
inheritance of honors contains, perhaps, some new ideas, ... I 
thought proper to leave this tract in the order in which ii was origi- 
nally thrown, before the inheritance of the dignity was fibolished ; 
a circumstance which does not alter the state of the questic ' o much 
as some persons would affect to believe. 

" The idea, and indeed the substance, of this work, is t; .n 

a pamphlet which appeared in Philadelphia two years ago, '• Con- 
siderations on the Society or Order of Cincinnati,' supposed to be 
written by ^danus Burke, p]sq., one of the chief justices of the 
State of South Carolina." 

This piece ]Mirabeau undertook, at Franklin's request, to 
translate, taking his work with him to London, in a state 
of great progress, in August, 1784, and publisliirig it on the 
30th of September following. His own opinion of its 
merits he gives in a letter to the critic Mauvillon, in which 
he says : " I confess that I set some value upon it. It 
appears to me that in this work there is good philosophy, 
feeling, and good oratory : the part relating to the deco- 
rated patriciate seems to me new, and I cannot but think 
that the subject has been examined in all its bearings. It 
is, of all I ever wrote, that with which I am least dissat- 
isfied.'''' 

Both Burke and Mirabeau erred in supposing that the 
sharing of a few ribbons and medals among the heroic 
founders of a great republic could overthrow it the very 
day after its foundation ; and this, too, by causes of ruin 
which generally arise only daring the lengthened progress 
of time, the forgetfulness of principles, the desuetude of 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 23 

laws, and the corruption of morals. Both were in error 
also in making Steuben " grand master " of the Order, and 
Burke throws all the odium of his objections on him as a 
foreigner. 

As Mirabeau's tract is quite rare, and as it embodies the 
principal objections of Burke and others, and moreover as 
it serves to show better than any thing else can .the feel- 
ings and sentiments of the opponents of the Society, we 
subjoin a ' few extracts. At this distance of time we can 
smile at the fears which the new Order then excited. It 
must nc" , however, be forgotten that the situation of 
affairs i Europe, where a great social and political revolu- 
tion was in its birth-throes, made the friends of liberty 
especially sensitive with regard to any thing w^hich they 
feared might endanger our republican institutions, — insti- 
tutions which, still in their infancy, required, as they sup- 
posed, to be jealously watched and to be guarded with the 
utmost solicitude. 

Thus does Mirabeau predict the baleful result of the 
Order upon the people : — 

" It is," says he, " an institution which must shortly undermine 
the public weal, their liberty, and their country ; strip the middle 
and lower ranks of life of all influence and of all importance, con- 
sign them to the most palpable contempt, and reduce them to the 
completest nullity ; or at best to the sad privilege of murmuring, 
when it will be too late to remedy the evil. So blind, so thoughtless 
are the multitude ! " (p. 2.) 

Here is where the shoe pinches civilians : — 

" Military force has been the sole object of their thoughts, 
because it was the mighty instrument of their pr.>jects. With this 
view it was that the inheritance of honor was leserved to none but 
military men. In the true spirit of a praetorian band they scrupled 
not to be unjust towards the most distinguished of their coadjutors 
who were prevented from taking arms by duties no less important. 
They have presumed to judge that the glory of the head ought to 



24 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 

be subordinate to that of the arm; and that the descendants of the 
civil officers, the projectors and framers of their present consti- 
tutions, sufficiently honored by a temporary distinction, ought after- 
wards to be confounded in the vulgar mass of plebeians." (p. 4.) 

But HOW comes the grand indictment, to sustain which 
he finds proofs in the foundation of Roman aristocracy 
and the nobiUty of modern Europe : — 

" The institution of the Order of Cincinnatus is the creation of 
an actual patriciate and of a military nobility, which will ere loiig^ 
become a civil nobility, and an aristocracy the more dangerous 
because, being hereditary, it will perpetually increase in the course 
of time, and will gather strength from the very prejudices which it 
will engender ; because, originating neither in the constitution nor 
the law, the law has provided no means to control it, and it will 
immediately overbear the constitution of which it forms no part ; 
till the time shall come when, by repeated attempts, made some- 
times clandestinely and sometimes openly, it will at length have 
incorporated itself into the constitution , or when, after having tor a 
long time sapped its foundations, it will in the end overturn and 
utterly destroy it." (p. 5.) 

The danger lurking beneath decorations and insignia is 
next pointed out : — 

" Such is the fatal power of opinion and of the little passions of 
the human heart, that the most trivial ornaments have helped to 
rivet the chains of nations, and have ennobled and rewarded the 
servitude of the great, the better to aggravate the servitude of the 
poor ; that even the color of a ribbon and the form of a star affect 
the character and disposition of men's minds, excite respect or 
meanness in some, and pride in others ; widen or contract the dis- 
tances between men, and seem to bring forward glaring to the sight 
that artificial inequality which usurpation and insolence originally 
impressed upon the imaginations of the weak and abject. . . . 

" All external signs are formidable and produce a great effect 
upon the weak imaginations of men. By striking their sight, one 
may at pleasure inspire them with any passions. By external signs 
it is that religion, fanaticism, sovereignty, rebellion, and faction 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. '25 

maintain an ascendant over the understandings of men and hurry 
away. a headlong multitude whose senses overpower their reason. 
By external signs have been prepared and accomplished many state 
revolutions, in favor as well of liberty as of tyranny. External 
signs muster in a moment under the same banner thousands of 
men who were but now dispersed ; inspire them with one will, one 
soul ; and precipitate them all together towards one and the same 
object. . . . All distinguishing signs which may serve suddenly to 
assemble a numerous body of men, which may create a partial 
interest in the public interest, wliich may se()arate a certain nuniber 
of citizens from the body of their fellow-citizens, are by their effects 
much more formidable in a republic than in a monarchy. . . . All 
outward marks of distinction are repugnant to the spirit of a republic. 
Liberty has an elevated pride which all distinctions offend. In 
her presence nothing must be eminently conspicuous : all must be 
confounded in one undistinguished mass. She cannot even behold 
these ornaments without terror: if they are worn by only one 
description of citizens, her terror redoubles. . . . But if the solitary 
body of men who dare thus to distinguish themselves from their 
fellow-citizens be a body of soldiers, all is lost." (pp. 9-12.) 

Here is the prophetic warning: — 

" In less than a century this institution which draws a line of 
separation between the descendants of the Cinciiuiati and their 
fellow-citizens will have caused so great an inequality, that the 
country, which now contains none but citizens perfectly equal in 
the eye of the Constitution and of the law, will consist altogether 
of two classes of men. Patricians and Plebeians." (p. 22.) 

" This order, which America beholds with indifference, will, when 
consolidated by time, convert the children of our military chiefs into 
a distinct, a privileged, and a commanding race. Lying poets and 
fawning orators will prostitute their eloquence to confer the honors 
of an apotheosis on the parricides who will have enslaved their 
country. The rest of the citizens will be nothing but an obscure, 
spiritless, degraded, and degenerate rabble, unworthy of regard, and 
devoted to oppression." (p. 38.) 

And in conclusion he says : — 

•' Let the Legislature blast this destructive institution of an 
artificial and (which is its masterpiece) a decorated nobility. But 



26 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 

before she dart the lightning of her vengeance, before she extirpate 
the name of tlie Cincinnati, let her admonish her children ; let her 
say: 'The patriotic views and pious projects which seduced you 
will some time or other be the disguise of a political conspiracy of 
military commanders, — a conspiracy dangerous to the public weal, 
and therefore criminal. . . . The honors and exclusive privileges 
of an hereditary order are a formal usurpation of sovereignty; for 
they are an invasion of the Constitution,' " &c. (p. 47.) 

John Adams was of the o^^inion that the formation of 
the Society was " the first step taken to deface the beauty 
of our Temple of Liberty ; " and Jay, Jefferson, and Gerr}^ 
were hostile to it. Samuel Adams expressed his fears 
that the members of the Order, by becoming the joint 
proprietors of large tracts of land and peopling their ter- 
ritories with multitudes from Germany, Avho would live 
in military service and fealty to their landlords, might in 
time revive the old feudal system. How greatly he mis- 
took the essentially democratic genius of the German 
character ! 

■Even the sensible and clear-sighted Franklin suffered 
himself to be swept along by the current which set so 
strongly against the Cincinnati. He writes thus to his 
daughter, Mrs. Sarah Baclie : — 

" Passy, 26th January, 1784. 
"My dear Child, — Your care in sending me the newspapers 
is very agreeable to me. I received by Captain Barney those 
relating to the Cincinnati. My opinion of the institution cannot be 
of much importance. I only wonder that when the united wisdom 
of our nation had, in the articles of confederation, manifested their 
dislike of establishing ranks of nobility by authority either of the 
Congress or of any particular State, a number of private persons 
should think proper to distinguish themselves and their posterity 
from their fellow-citizens, and form an order of hereditary knights 
in direct opposition to the solemnly declared sense of their coun- 
try ! 1 imagine it must be likewise contrary to the good sense of 
most of those drawn into it by the persuasion of its projectors, who 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 27 

have been too much struck with the ribbons and crosses they have 
seen hanging to the button-holes of foreign officers. And I sup- 
pose tho>e who disapprove of it have not hitherto given it much 
opposition from a principle somewhat like that of your good mother 
relating to punctilious persons, who are always exacting little ob- 
servances of respect, — that ' if people can be pleased with small 
matters, it is a pity but they should have them.' 

" In this view, perhaps, I should not myself, if my advice had 
been asked, have objected to their wearing their Tibbon and badge 
themselves according to their fancy, though I certainly should to 
the entailing it as an honor on their posterity. For honor worthily 
obtained (as that for example of our officers) is in its nature &. per- 
sonal thing and incommunicable to any but those who had some 
share in obtaining it. Thus among the Chinese, the most ancient 
and from long experience the wisest of nations, honor does not 
descend, hut ascends. If a man from his learning, his wisdom, or 
his valor, is promoted by the emperor to the rank of mandarin, his 
parents are immediately entitled to all the same ceremonies of 
respect from the people that are established as due to the mandarin 
himself; on the supposition that it must have been owing to the 
education, instruction, and good example afforded him by his 
parents, that he was rendered capable of serving the public. I 
wish, therefore, that the Cincinnati, if they must go on with their 
project, would direct the badges of their Order to be worn by their 
fathers and mothers instead of handing them down to their children. 
It would be a kind of obedience to the fourth commandment, in which 
God enjoins us to honor our father and mother, but has nowhere 
directed us to honor our children [then follows a demonstration of 
"the absurdity of descending honors, making it appear that 1,022 
men and women will have contributed to the formation of one 
knight of the ninth generation "]. 

" I hope, therefore, that the Order will drop this part of their 
project, and content themselves as knights of other orders of Europe 
do with a life enjoyment of their little badge and ribbon ; and let 
the distinction die with those who have merited it. . . . For my own 
part I shall think it a convenience, when I go into a company where 
there may be faces unknown to me, if I discover by this badge the 
persons who merit some particular expressions of my respect. 



28 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 

"The gentleman who made the voyage to Fi-ance to provide the 
ribbons and medals has executed his commission. To me they 
seem tolerably done, but all such things are criticised. Some find 
fault with the Latin, as wanting classical elegance and correctness; 
others object to the title as not properly assumable by any but 
Washington and a few others, who served without p;iy. Others 
object to the bald eagle, as looking too much like a dindon, or turkey. 
For my own part, I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the 
representative of our country : he is a bird of bad moral character ; 
he does not get his living honestly. You may have seen him perched 
on some dead tree, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches 
the labor of the fishing hawk ; and when that diligent bird has at 
length taken a fish, and is bearing it to his nest for the support of 
his mate and young ones, the bald eagle pursues him, and takes it 
from him. With all this injustice, he is never in good case; but, 
like those among men who live by sharping and robbing, he is gen- 
erally poor and often very lousy. Besides, he is a rank coward : 
the little kirtg bird, not bigger than a sparrow, attacks him boldly, 
and drives him out of the district. He is therefore by no means a 
proper emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America, 
who have driven all the kivg birds from our country ; tliough 
exactly fit for that order of knights which the French call cheval- 
iers d'industrie." 

Of the condition of public sentiment in NewEngland 
Knox writes thus to Washington : — 

" Boston, 21 Feb. 1784. 

... "The Cincinnati appears (however groundlessly) to be an 
object of jealousy. The idea is, that it has been created by a foreign 
influence in order to change our form of government ; and this is 
strengthened by a letter from some of our ministers abroad. Burke's 
pamphlet has had its full operation. The cool, dispassionate men 
seem to approve of the institution generally, but dislike the hereditary 
descent.* The two branches of the legislature of the State have 
chosen a committee 'to inquire into any associations or combi- 
nations which have [been] or may be formed to introduce nndue 
distinctions in the community, and wiiich may have a tendency to 
create a race of hereditary nobility contrary to the confederation of 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 29 

the United States and tlie spirit of the Constitution of this Com- 
monwealth.' They have not reported, and perhaps will not. The 
same sentiments pervade New England. The Society have had a 
respectable meeting in Boston on the 16th inst., at which General 
Lincoln presided : General Heath was not present. A committee 
was chosen to attend the General Meeting at Philadelphia next 
May, — General R. Putnam, Colonel Cobb, Lieutenant-Colonel 
Hull, Major Sargent, and myself. Probably two only will attend. 
It was thought prudent not to make any honorary members at 
present." 

The allusion at the beginning of Knox's letter to Steu- 
ben, which follows, will be readily understood by refer- 
ence to the baron's letter on page 19. 

" BosTo\, 21 Feb. 1784. 
. . . " roz<r ASociV^y, monsieur baron, has occasioned great jealousies 
among the good people of New England, who say it is altogether an 
outlandish creature, formed by foreign influence. It is still height- 
ened by a letter from one of our ministers abroad, who intimates 
that it was formed in Europe to overthrow our happy Constitution. 
You see how much you have to answer for by the introduction of 
your European distinctions. I contend, to the utmost of my power, 
that you only had your share in the matter ; but it will have no 
effect. Burke's allusion has fixed it, and you must support the 
credit of having created a new and hereditary nobility. Our friend 
Heath says, ' I forewarned you of all that would happen.' He left 
us in the lurch, and did not attend the meeting, having providen- 
tially caught cold." 

La Fayette writes to Knox from Paris, under date of 
Jan. 8, 1784 : " Our association meets with great suc- 
cess. On Thursday next a sufficient numl)er of Eagles 
will be made to answer immediate purposes. I intend 
inviting all the American officers -to my house, and to con- 
duct them in a bodj^, with our regimentals, to the General 
of the French army, to whom we will present the marks 
of the association. You will receive many applications 
relative to an addition to the brotherhood. But as nothing 



30 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 

will be decided before the assembly in Ma}^, I have time 
to send you my observations." 

From Paris Colonel Gouvion writes to Knox, in INIarch, 
1784 : " The Order succeeds extremely well in this coun- 
try, but the news we have from America give me some 
uneasiness. The American gentlemen who are in Paris, 
and not members of the Society, are much against it ; 
chiefly Mr. Jay, who went the other day so far as to say 
that if it did take well in the States he would not care 
whether the Revolution had succeeded or not." 

Knox, in his reply to Go avion, dated Boston, 2 July, 
1784, says : " You will have heard long before this of our 
General Meeting of the Cincinnati, and its consequences. 
We found it absolutely essential to make the alterations 
to meet the public oj)inion. In constitutions like ours, 
popular opinion already governs us ; and it runs most 
furiously against our Society. We hope and believe that 
our brethren in France will feel the force of our reasons, 
and approve our conduct. It may subsist in its present 
form without opposition. The liberal and enlightened 
do not dislike it, and those who are less so appear to think 
it a harmless institution." 

It was well understood that in Congress the Society was 
viewed with secret disapprobation : — 

" Wliat are the sentiments of Congress on this subject," said 
Jefferson, in answer to Washington's inquiries, " and what line 
they will pursue, can only be stated conjecturally. Congress as a 
body, if left to themselves, will, in my opinion, say nothing on the 
subject. They may, however, be forced into a declaration by 
instructions from some of the States or by other incidents. Their 
sentiments, if forced from them, will be unfriendly to the institution. 
If permitted to pursue their own track, they will check it by side 
blows whenever it comes in their way ; and, in competitions for 
office on equal or nearly equal ground, will give silent preferences 
for those who are not of the fraternity." 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 31 

" It was," says Marsliall, " impossible for Wasliington to view 
with indifference tliis state of the public feeling. Bound to the 
officers of his army by the strictest ties of esteem and affection, 
conscious of their merits and assured of their attachment to his 
person, he was alive to every thing which might affect their repu- 
tation or their interests. However innocent the institution niiwht 
be in itself, or however laudable its real objects, if the impression it 
made on the public mind was such as to draw a line of distinction 
between the military men of America and their fellow-citizens, he 
was earnest in his wishes to adopt such measures as would efface 
that impression. However ill-founded the public prejudices might 
be, he thought this a case in which they ought to be respected ; and 
if it should be found impossible to convince the people that their 
fears were misplaced, he was disposed to yield to them in a degree, 
and not to suffer that which was intended for tjie best of purposes 
to produce a bad one. 

" To prepare the officers for those fundamental changes in the 
principles of the Society which he contemplated as a necessary 
sacrifice to the public apprehensions, his ideas were suggested to his 
military correspondents ; and, to give weight to tlie measures which 
might be recommended, his utmost influence was exerted to obtain 
a full assemblage of deputies at the General Meeting in Philadel- 
phia, in May, 1784, which might be at the same time respectable 
for its numbers and for its wisdom. 

" On amending those parts of the Institution which were deemed 
objectionable, officers of high respectability entertained different 
opinions. By some the public clamor was attributed to a spirit of 
persecution, which only attached them more closely to the Order. 
Many, it was said, were in quest of a cause of quarrel with tbeir 
late protectors ; and the removal .of one ground of accusation against 
them would only induce the substitution of some other. The 
source of the uneasiness which was manifested was to be found in 
the temper of the people, not in the matters of which they com- 
plained ; and if the present cause of irritation was removed, their 
ill-humor would be openly and avowedly directed against the com- 
mutation. 

" In the habit of considering subjects of difficulty in various 
points of view, and of deciding on them with coolness and delibera- 
tion, Washington could not permit his affections to influence his 



32 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 

judgment. The most exact inquiries were assiduously made into 
the true state of the public mind ; the result of which was a per- 
suasion that opinions unfriendly to the Institution in its actual form 
were extensively entertained, and that those opinions were founded 
not in hostility to the late army, but in real apprehensions for equal 
liberty." 

We present from two of Washington's letters to Knox 
extracts which evince his care and exactness with regard 
to the most minute details of business : — 

" Rocky Hill, 23 Sept. 1783. 
..." I shall be obliged to you for pointing out in precise terms 
what is expected from the President of the Cincinnati previous to 
the General Meeting in May next. As I never was present at any 
of your meetings, and have never seen the proceedings of the last, 
I may, for want of information of the part I am to act, neglect some 
essential duty which might not only be injurious to the Society, but 
mortifying to myself, as it would discover a want of knowledge or 
want of attention in the President." 

" Mount Vernon, 20 Feb. 1784. 
. ..." It was amongst my first acts after I got home to write 
to the president of each State society, appointing Philadelphia (and 
the first Monday in May) for the General Meeting of the Cincin- 
nati. ... It would give me pleasure to have the first General 
Meeting a very full one. I have named Philadelphia (contrary to 
my own judgment, as it is not central) to comply with the wishes 
of South Carolina, who being the most southern State have desired 
it. North Carolina I have not heard a tittle from, nor any thing 
official from New Hampshire. All the other States have acceded 
very unanimously to the propositions which were sent from the 
army." 

The first General Meeting after the disbanding of the 
army took place at the City Tavern, Philadelphia, in May, 
1784. Washington took the chair, and was on the 15th 
unanimously chosen President ; Major-General Gates, 
Vice-President ; and Major-General Knox, Secretary. 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 33 

As the journal of this meeting, kept by Major Winthrop 
Sargent, has been published in Vol. VI. of the Memoirs 
of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, it is only ne- 
cessary here to give a brief s3mopsis of its proceedings. 
Washington, in a lengthy speech and Avith great warmth 
and agitation, expressed himself against the hereditary 
part of the Institution, interference with politics, hon- 
orary members, and increase of funds from donations ; and 
declared his determination to vacate his place in the 
Society if it could not be accommodated to the feeling and 
pleasure of the several States. There is little doubt that 
Washington would have been willing to sacrifice the 
Society to the public clamor but for its relation to the 
foreign officers, who had already had a meeting abroad, 
and but for its charitable provisions. The general sen- 
timent was in favor of concession ; and the Institution, so 
amended as to abolish the hereditary principle and the 
power of admitting honorary members, was adof)ted, thir- 
teen States concurring, except New York, which was 
divided. 

A circular letter to the State societies, urging their con- 
currence in the proposed alterations, was prepared ; also 
the form of a diploma. By this politic action, entirely 
omitting any provision for the continuance of tlie Society 
bej'ond the lives of its founders, the storm was hushed ; 
and after the adoption of the federal Constitution warfare 
against it ceased. Washington continued President till his 
death, when the general Society, through all its branches, 
passed unanimous resolutions of public and private sorrow 
at his decease. At the second General Meeting, in 1787, 
it was resolved that the alterations could not take effect 
until they had been agreed to by all the State societies. 
This sanction not having been obtained, the Institution 
remained unaltered ; and it was accordingly declared at 

5 



34 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 

the General Meeting in 1800 that the Institution con- 
tinued to rest on its original foundation. 

The candid and sensible views of Knox upon the radical 
changes made in his work, are apparent in this extract 
from a letter written by him to General Parsons, dated 
Boston, 20 March, 1785 : — 

" The Institution of the Cincinnati, as at first framed, excited such 
gloomy apprehensions, that it appeared necessary to adapt it to the 
mind of the people, or that we should quit the country. It was 
apparent that the objections against it were not local, nor confined 
to the carping demagogues ; but that those men who appeared the 
most impressed with respect for the services of the army, and anxious 
for the honor of the country, were most alarmed at the probable 
consequences to the institution. This was the information given 
by the delegates from Georgia to New Hampshire^ at the society 
meeting in Way last. 

" After the fairest discussion that we wei'e able to give the subject, 
it appeared that if we persisted in the first Institution we should 
hazard the peace of the country, and probably involve ourselves in 
the most solid distress. 

"A question then arose, — What is the object for wliich we are 
to risk so much ? In considering this point, although we could not 
see that the apprehensions of the people were entirely reasonable, 
yet [we hoped?] that we might, in new modelling the Society, 
arrange it in such a manner as to preserve all its friendships, and 
at the same time annihilate all terrors. 

" No undue fears influenced our conduct. We thoxight we acted 
the part of good citizens to give peace to our country, and that 
ultimately we should not lose any of our consequence. 

" In France I know our warmest friends think we have acted 
with political wisdom. ' By annihilating suspicion, you have estab- 
lished the Society,' is the opinion of no less a man than Count 
D'Estaing. I wish you were better reconciled to the alterations ; 
because it appears to me that the moment we split, and embrace 
diff'ei'ent systems, we are ruined, and can have no hope of ever 
bringing the Society to any degree of perfection." 

Under date of Boston, 2 July, 1784, he Avrites thus to 
the Count de Ghastellux : — 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 35 

" You will have observed the alterations in the Society of the 
Cincinnati, and I hope approve them. We w^ere extremely solic- 
itous to adopt your idea of attempting to reconcile the glory of the 
army with the liberty of the citizen, and we flatter oui-selves that 
we have effected it. The public opinion which was hostile to the 
first Institution appears to be favorable to the present." 

And again, in reply to his reqnest for the admission 
of Dr. Coste, physician-in-chief of Rochambeau's army in 
America : — 

"New Yokk, 27th Sept. 1785. 

" You must have heard, my dear marquis [Chastellux had then 
attained that dignity], of the essential alterations of the Institution 
of the Cincinnati by the General Meeting last year in Philadelphia. 
An institution harmless in its intention, and having only for its real 
objects the perpetuation of friendships, and recollection of past ur- 
gencies as a stimulus to future exertions, was considered, by the 
jealousy of republicanists, as the groundwork of distinctions sub- 
versive of equality in the community. Conscious of possessing the 
purest principles of love to our country, we did not hesitate to resign 
to its opinion every thing but our friendships. We then placed the 
Society on such principles with respect to our esteemed companions 
of the French army, as to make them the sole judges of all French 
subjects to be admitted ; and the General Society adjourned until 
the year 1787. This arrangement precludes every attempt of mine 
respecting the eminent and worthy Doctor Coste. It would have 
afforded me great gratification to have complied with your wishes in 
behalf of a gentleman of such merit as the Doctor possesses, and 
who has rendered such substantial services to the United States." 

As his views had not been carried into effect by the 
State societies, Washington hesitated long, and more than 
once changed his mind with respect to attending the meet- 
ing in May, 1787 ; but having finally decided to attend 
the Convention at Philadelphia, to frame the federal Con- 
stitution, he was also present at the triennial meeting. 

On the 8th of March, 1787, Washington writes to 
Knox : — 



36 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 

" I am indirectly and delicately pressed to attend this Convention 
(to frame the Constitution of the United States). Several reasons 
are opposed to it in my mind ; and not the least, having declined 
attending the General Meeting of the Cincinnati, which is to be held 
in Philadelphia at the same time, on account of the disrespect it 
might seem to offer to that Society were I to attend on another 
occasion." 

And at a later period : — 

" Mount Vernon, 2tl April, 1787. 
" If I should attend the Convention, I will be in Philadelphia 
previous to the meeting of the Cincinnati, where I shall hope and 
expect to meet you, and some others of my particular friends, the 
day before, in order that I may have a free and unreserved con- 
ference with you on the subject of it ; for I assure you this is, in 
my estimation, a business of a delicate nature. That the design of 
the Institution was pure, I have not a particle of doubt ; that it may 
be so still, is perhaps equally unquestionable ; but qucere. Are not the 
subsidence of the jealousies of it to be ascribed to the modification 
which took place at the last General Meeting? Are not these 
rejected in toto by some of the State societies, and partially acceded 
to by others ? Has any State so far overcome its prejudices as to 
grant a charter? Will the modifications and alterations be insisted 
on or given up in the next meeting? If the first, will it not occasion 
warmths and divisions ? If the latter, and I should remain at the 
head of this Order, in what light would my signature appear in 
contradictoiy recommendations ? In what light would the versatility 
appear to the foreign members, who perhaps are acting agreeably 
to the recommendations of the last General Meeting ? These, and 
other matters which may be agitated, will, I fear, place me in a 
disagreeable predicament if I should preside, and were among the 
causes which induced me to decline the honor of it, previously to 
the meeting." 

The succession to membership in the Society has always 
been a theme of discussion. Hamilton (one of the most 
prominent and earnest advocates of the institution), in a 
report to the New York Society in 1780, declared that in 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 37 

his opinion an unvarying law of primogeniture was incon- 
sistent with the genius of the Society, — referring to mere 
birth what properly belonged to merit. 

The claim to membership has latterly been determined 
not by strict primogeniture, but by a "'just elective prefer- 
ence, especially in the line of the first-born," who has a 
moral but not an absolutely indisputable right ; and mem- 
bership has always been renewed by election. 

The principle of limiting membership to a single indi- 
vidual of the same line prevails uniformly in Massachu- 
setts and New York, and also for the most part in New 
Jersey and Pennsylvania. South Carolina admits all male 
descendants, at least in the same degree of blood, and has 
allowed the admission of several brothers at the same time. 
In Maryland, also, different degrees of the same stock in the 
line of descent, as father and son, are admitted together, 
members paying an admission fee of thirty dollars. 

In all the societies, from the beginning, a brother or a 
nephew of an original member has been admitted upon 
the like footing ; and direct male descendants through 
female collateral lines have, upon failure of original male 
lines, been made admissible in preference to kinsmen more 
remote. The admission of nephews has been extended in 
Massachusetts and New York to one claiming through a 
sister of an original member. To this custom the Society 
is indebted for some of its most valued and distinguished 
members. 

At the General Meeting of 1829, " A question having 
arisen whether, in case of a member having no male issue 
except a grandson, the issue of a daughter, such grand- 
child shall be preferred to (male) collaterals, the Society 
conceives the true construction of the Constitution to be 
that the grandson shall be preferred, he being in the direct 
line of descent." 



38 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 

The General Conventions have not been able to har- 
monize these variations, and that at Trenton, N.J., of 
1856, voted to leave the question to the State societies. 
The General Meeting of 1857 adopted an ordinance mak- 
ing all persons eligible who are descended from any 
one who might have been, as well as from one who was, 
a member. This action was in part occasioned by the 
rapid decrease of the Cincinnati. 

In closing this brief sketch, a 'few statistics may not be 
out of place. 

Six only of the original thirteen States — Mass^achusetts, 
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and , 
South Carolina — are still represented at the General 
Meetings. 

The largest society, that of Massachusetts, consisting 
originally of 343 members, now numbers less than 80 ; 
that of New York, from 230 had in 1858 decreased to 73 ; 
the 268 of Pennsylvania, to about 60 ; the 110 of New 
Jersey, in 1866, to 60 ; and the 131 of South Carolina 
was, in 1849, reduced to 71. The Maryland Society 
originally consisted of 148 members ; the Rhode Island 
Society of 72 ; that of New Hampshire, 28 ; Connecticut, 
181. 

The State societies not now in existence are, — 

Delaware^ dissolved in July, 1802, by a formal vote, and 
its funds divided among the members, some of wliom car- 
ried their funds into the Pennsylvania Society. 

Virginia^ in December, 1803, voted to bestow its fund 
for the endowment of Washington Academy, Rockbridge 
County. 

Connecticut, dissolved in July, 1804, by a formal vote 
(the State legislature having refused a charter), after a 
very elegant valedictory address by Colonel David Hum- 
phreys. Its fund was given to Yale College. 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 89 

Neio Hampshire held its last meeting in 1823 ; became 
extinct in 1830, by the death of the last of its members, 
Captain Daniel Gookin, whose son, John W. Gookin, in 
1842 presented its books and papers to the New Hamp- 
shire Historical Society. 

G-eorgia^ the last of the non-existent branches, be- 
queathed its funds to the parent Society. 

In the remaining States of Rhode Island and North 
Carolina, the Society long since ceased to exhibit any signs 
of vitality. The records of the former are in the archives 
of the Historical Society of the State. 

The Societies of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts re- 
ceived special State acts of incorporation, — the former in 
1802, the latter in 1806 ; but the persistent application of 
the New York Society for a charter has been repeatedly 
refused, and the effort abandoned. 

In France, the Society was at once placed on a firm 
foundation. A translation of the Institution havhig been 
forwarded by the Count de Rochambeau to the French 
Minister of War, the latter notified him of the approbation 
of the king, who, by a signal act of condescension, per- 
mitted the French Cincinnati to appear at court with the 
new decoration ; the only foreign order previously suffered 
to be worn in his service being that of the Golden Fleece. 

The first list prepared by the general-in-chief com- 
prised seven general officers, eight brigadiers, and eighteen 
colonels. These made a subscription of sixty theusand 
francs, in aid of the impoverished officers of the American 
army ; but this sum was refused by Washington, in the 
name of his associates. So manj^ applications were made 
by officers desirous of obtaining the distinction of mem- 
bership, that finally the right of accepting or rejecting 
their requests was transferred to the Society in France. 
The whole number of the French Cincinnati appears to 
have been seventy-nine. (See list in Appendix.) 



40 PIISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 

The Revolution in France put an end to the existence 
of this branch of the Society, and the guillotine made sad 
havoc in its ranks ; D'Estaing, Custine, Lauzun, Dillon, 
and Broglie, being among its many eminent and illustrious 
victims. It was, however, ahout being resuscitated just 
before the coiq) d'etat of Louis Napoleon, which put an 
end to the interest in it. 

Gustavus III. of Sweden forbade officers in the French 
army, his subjects, who had been in America, to wear the 
insignia of the Order, as " it had a republican tendency, 
not suited to his government." These, however, were 
few in number ; among them were the Comte de Fersen 
and the Baron de Stedingk. The son of Stedingk, com- 
manding the Life Guards of King Oscar, wore the insignia 
daily under his sovereign's eye. 

Major Robert Burnett, the last original member of the 
Society, deceased in 1854. Dr. Joseph Prescott, the last 
survivor of those of Massachusetts, died in 1852. 

Among the earlier honorary members were Benjamin 
Franklin and Robert Morris, of Pennsylvania ; Elias Bou- 
dinot and William Livingston, of New Jersey ; Robert 
R. Livingston, Gouverneur ^Morris, and Rufus King, of 
New York. The only names upon the honorary roll of 
Massachusetts are William H. Prescott, John C. Warren, 
and Daniel Webster, — all of whom have deceased. 

Says Alexander Johnston, in the sketch we have before 
quotedT^When General St. Clair and Colonel Sargent, in 
1789, gave the name of their Society to the three log 
houses at the confluence of the Licking and Ohio, then 
called Losantiville, thej^ did not imagine that they were 
enthroning a Queen of the West, and erecting a monument 
in honor of the Cincinnati which will probably last longer 
than the memory of all its members. The daughter does 
honor to her parents. On the ground which they have 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 41 

cultivated and made independent, it flourislies proudly and 
mightily, the young and vine-crowned Cincinnati."\,.^ 



List of Officers of the General Society of the Cincinnati, chosen at the 
Triennial Meeting, held in the City of Boston, May 30, 1872. 

President. 
Hon. Hamilton Fish New York. 

Vice-President. 
Hon. James Simons South Carolina. 

Secretary. 
* Thomas McEwen, M.D Pennsylvania. 

Assistant- Secretary. 
George W. Harris Pennsylvania. 

Treasurer. 
Gen. Tench Tilghman Maryland. 

Assistant- Treasurer. 
William B. Dayton New Jersey. 

* Deceased at Philadelphia in March, 1873. 



ANNALS 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



ANNALS 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



^ I ^HE first meeting of the members of the Massachusetts 
Society was held at the cantonment of the Massa- 
chusetts hue near Newburgh, on the Hudson, 9th June, 
1783. Brigadier-General Paterson presided ; and a com- 
mittee was chosen to receive the votes for officers of the 
Society, who reported at an adjourned meeting on the 
20th of the same month. On opening the ballots (which 
were sealed), it was found that 150 votes had been cast, 
and that the Society had chosen — 



Major-General Benjamin L|ncoln 
Major-General Henry Knox . . 
Colonel John Brooks .... 
Colonel Henry .Jackson . . . 
Captain Benjamin Heywood 



President. 
Vice-President. 
Secretary. 
Treasurer. 
Assistant- Treasurer. 



The next meeting was held on the 18th of February, 
1784, in Boston, where all the subsequent meetings of 
the Society have been held. A committee was appointed 
to prepare by-laws ; and three members were chosen from 
each county to inquire into the situation of distressed 
members. 



46 ANNALS OF THE 

1784, March 23. A committee of both Houses of the 
State Legislature, appointed to inquire into the existence, 
nature, object, and probable tendency of the Order or 
Society called the Cincinnati, made a report, which was 
accepted by the two Houses, as follows : — 

" That the said Society called the Cincinnati is unjustifiable, and, 
if not properly discountenanced, may be dangerous to the peace, 
liberty, and safety of the United States in general, and this Com- 
monwealth in particular. The Committee also report, as their 
opinion, that it is proper that further consideration of measures 
suitable and necessary to be taken, with respect to the Society 
of the Cincinnati, be referred to the next sitting of the General 
Court." 

This suggestion never took effect, the General Society 
having in May, 1784, greatly modified the Institution ; 
and at its annual meeting, July 4, 1784, the Massachusetts 
Society accepted, after two readings, the amended consti- 
tution. This action was, at the annual meeting in 1786, 
so far reconsidered that special instructions respecting the 
altered and amended Institution were given to its dele- 
gates to the next General Meeting. 

The first annual meeting of the Society was held July 4, 
1784, at the " Bunch of Grapes " tavern, in State Street, 
Boston : they were subsequently held at the same place 
until 1789 ; after which they took place at Concert Hall, 
where for many years the festive reunions of the Society 
were celebrated, the last occasion being in 1846. Between 
1822 and 1834 the Exchange Coffee House was frequently 
resorted to for this object. In 1848-60, the Society met 
and dined at the United States Hotel, and since that 
period its meetings have been held at the Parker House. 

At this first annual meeting a committee was appointed 
to petition the Legislature to grant a charter of incor- 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 47 

poration to the Society. The right of joining the Society 
was limited to that month, with the exception of those 
officers who had previously applied to sign the constitution, 
and with the further exception of the officers of the navy, 
who were allowed one year more for the purpose. 

From the " Gazette " we take the following incident 
connected with this meeting : — 

" A number of respectable gentlemen of this town assembled at 
the American Coffee House, where was provided an elegant enter- 
tainment. As a respectable number of worthy brethren members 
of the Order of Cincinnati were met at Colonel Marston's on the 
same joyful occasion, and being ever ready to show a respect to 
such distinguished characters, a committee from the American 
Coffee House waited on the gentlemen, informing them that the 
following toast would be drunk from the balcony: — 

" ' May the members of the honorable Society of Cincinnati ever 
retain that honor in their present establishment which their bravery 
and virtues had acquired in their military.' 

" After which another committee returned the following toast in 
reply to the preceding : — 

" ' May the citizens of Massachusetts ever retain that degree of 
VIRTUE exhibited during the late war.' " 

From the " Independent Chronicle " of July 6, 1786 : — 

" The Society of Cincinnati met at the Bunch of Grapes on the 
4th of July, being the anniversary of their meeting. The day was 
celebrated with the greatest good humor ; and after dinner the fol- 
lowing toasts were drunk : — 

1. The Day. 

2. The United States in Congress assembled. 

3. The Allies of America. 

4. The President-General of the Cincinnati, our late illustrious 
Commander-in-Chief. 

5. The Marquis of Fayette and our Brethren this day assembled 
in France and America. 



48 ANNALS OF THE 

G. The Governor and Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 

7. Agriculture, Commerce, Arts, and Sciences. 

8. The Soldiers of the late American Army. 

9. The memory of those who have fallen for their country. May 
the fate of their widows and orphans be tempered with justice and 
mercy. 

10. Just in herself, may America have the confidence to insist on 
a punctual fulfilment of the Treaty of Peace. And 

11. May her Militia support her measures, and prove the bulwark 
of her freedom. 

12. May the enemies of public faith, public honor, and jmblic 
justice, hold no place in the Councils of America. 

13. Perpetuity to the Federal Union, and perpetual infamy to the 
man who would dissolve it. 

" On announcing the fourth toast, a discharge of thirteen rounds 
from Copp's Hill evinced the joy which prevails among all orders of 
men whenever the name and virtues of a Washington are brought 
up to view." 

Oct. 11. In consequence of a dangerous insurrection in 
the State, resolves were passed expressive of abhorrence 
of the nefarious acts of the insurgents, and of a determi- 
nation to support the government at every hazard ; also to 
petition the Legislature respecting the depreciated state of 
their funds and public securities. 

1787, April 11. A committee of thirteen were author- 
ized as a Standing Committee, to meet monthly, to 
examine the claims of candidates for admission, and report 
thereon, and to transact all other business for the Society, 
the officers of the Society to be members ex officio, and five 
members to constitute a quorum. Tliis body, annually 
rechosen and subsequently enlarged, has ever since con- 
tinued to administer the benefactions and the general 
affairs of the Society. iVt this meeting it was voted that 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 49 

an .oration should be delivered before the Society on the 
Fourth of July ensuing.* 

At this meeting the delegates to the General Meeting, to 
be held in Philadelphia, were instructed " to promote the 
original objects of the Institution by an invariable atten- 
tion to its original principles." This done, they go on to 
say, " We would not have you contend for any secondary 
points in opposition to the opinion of our brethren. It is 
the wish of this Society that its existence may be preserved 
hy election^ rjiving the preference to the nearest akin to any 
deceased officer^ and not hy hereditary descent^ 

July 4. In the " Independent Chronicle " of July 12, 
we find the following : — 

" Wednesday last the Society of the Cincinnati held their annual 
meeting at the Bunch of Grapes. At eleven o'clock they moved in 
procession through State Street to the Old Brick Meeting House, to 
attend an oration from General Brooks. The Rev. Mr. Clarke 
opened with a prayer judiciously and delicately adapted to the 
occasion, and the oration which followed did honor to the speaker, 
and was exceedingly acceptable to the audience. After the service 
was over, the Society returned in procession, attended by the Rev. 
Mr. Clarke, who dined with the Society at the Bunch of Grapes. 
The bold and patriotic sentiments expressed in this oration reflect 
the highest honor on the author, and must convince even jealousy 
herself that this band of brothers have genuine philanthropy for the 
basis of their institution, and the prosperity of their country the 
nearest object of their wishes. 



* There were six of these orations, the first four of which, delivered in the 
Old Brick Meeting House, were printed : the two last were given at the 
Stone Chapel. They were as follows : — 

Col. John Brooks 1787. 

Col. William Hull 1788. 

Dr. Samuel Whitwell 1789. 

Col. William Tudor 1790. 

Dr. William Eostis . 1791. 

Thomas Edwards, Esq 1792. 



50 ANNALS OF THE 

" The utmost conviviality attended this festive meeting, and the 
day did not terminate without several interviews from the different 
military coriis who shared the honors of the day ; and we are happy 
to inform our readers that the unmanly suspicions of this Society 
have given place to the confidence and good oinuion of all orders of 
men. After dinner the following toasts were drunk : — 

1. The United States in Congress assembled. 

2. The Federal Convention. 

3. His Most Christian Majesty. 

4. The President-General and the members of the Cincinnati 
throughout the world. 

5. This auspicious day, and every honest soul who enjoys it. 
6.' The Governor and Common wealtli. 

7. The memory of those heroes who have fallen in the defence of 
the rights of human nature. 

8. May the wisdom and virtue of 1 775 pervade the Councils of 
1787. 

9. Honor and honesty, good faith and good government. 

10. May the widow and the orphan, the neglected patriot and the 
war-worn soldier, never know the hardships of want or the dis- 
tresses of woe. 

11. Husbandry and Commerce, Arts and Sciences. 

12. The Officers of the Militia of the Commonwealth. 

13. The fair of America in the arms of those who best deserve 
them." 

July 18. Ordered by the Standing Committee, that the 
following resolution be published in the public papers : — 

" Wliereas Luke and Elijah Day have, by openly joining, leading, 
and conducting the late rebellion in this Commonwealth, rendered 
themselves particularly odious and obnoxious to this Society: there- 
fore Resolved, That their month's pay be returned to them by the 
treasurer, as they are not and never have been considered as mem- 
bers of this Society." 

This resolution was accordingly carried into effect. 
1788. During this and the following 3-ear the Society 
lost a number of its most valuable members by migration 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 51 

to the North-west territory, where, under the leadership 
of Generals Rufus Putnam and Benjamin Tupper, they 
founded at Marietta the first white settlement in Ohio. 

Among these enterprising pioneers were Colonels Sprout 
and Stacey, Major Oliver, Captains Nathaniel Cushing, 
Nathan Goodale, Zebulon King, Robert Bradford, Jonathan 
Stone, Haffield White, and Jonathan Haskell. 

From the " Independent Chronicle " of July 5, 1788 : — 

" July 4. Agreeably to its Institution, the Society of the Cin- 
cinnati of Massachusetts held their General Meeting at the Bunch 
of Grapes Tavern. The Society, having assembled, at twelve o'clock 
proceeded to the Old Brick Meeting House, where General Hull 
delivered an elegant and patriotic oration ; after which they returned 
to the Bunch of Grapes, where they dined, and spent the day in a 
manner becoming a society of men actuated by the noblest and best 
of motives. The following toasts were given after dinner: — 

1. Our Country. 

2. His Excellency Governor Hancock. 

3. General Washington, President-General of the Cincinnati. 

4. Our Brethren of the Society. 

5. His Most Christian Majesty. 

0. The Hon. .John Adams, late Minister from the United States. 

7. May monuments of unfading fame be erected in memory of 
those who have fallen in defence of the rights of mankind. 

8. Speedy and effective operation to the new Constitution. 

9. Our Brethren the Non-commissioned Officers and Privates of 
the late Army. 

10. May the Brethren, as they bear the name, emulate the vir- 
tues of Cincinnatus. 

11. May the measures of the present Administration of Massa- 
chusetts meet the wishes of the people, and disperse every cloud of 
distrust. 

12. As the fair of America deserve, may they always receive the 
protection of the brave. 

13. Peace, freedom, and happiness to all mankind. 

1789, July 4. At the annual meeting, relief was granted 



52 ANNALS OF THE 

to a distressed member, — the first instance of the bounty 
of the Society having been solicited. The Standing Com- 
mittee Avere in 1791 empowered to afford relief to such 
as were intended to be thus aided by the original asso- 
ciation, not more than twenty dollars to be granted to 
an individual nor more than one quarter of the annual 
interest to be thus appropriated. 

An account of the celebration of this anniversary is 
furnished in a letter from General Henry Jackson, who 
writes to his friend, General Henry Knox, as follows : — 

" Boston, July 5, 1789. 
" Yesterday the Society of the Cincinnati held their annual 
meeting at the Bunch of Grapes. At twelve o'clock we proceeded 
to the Old Brick Meeting House in procession, where an oration was 
delivered by Dr. Samuel Whitwell, after which we returned to the 
Bunch of Grapes, where we had provided the best entertainment 
the season and market would aflford. We passed a joyous day, every 
one endeavoring to make each other happy. It rained exceedingly 
hard until noon, which prevented our having so full a meeting as 
was expected. "We were sixty in number, with our worthy President 
at our head. I assure you we made a very respectable appear- 
ance." 

As a picture of the time, the following programme of 
the ceremonies upon this occasion may not be uninter- 
esting : — 

" The sub-committee, appointed to form an arrangement for the 
celebration of the anniversary of Independence, beg leave to 
report : — 

" 1. The Society to meet at the usual place at 10 o'clock a.m , and 
proceed to business. 

" 2. The oration to be delivered at the Old Brick Meeting House at 
12 o'clock at noon, permission having been obtained from a com- 
mittee of the church, and the sexton to toll the bell at the hour 
appointed. 

" 3. That the Rev. Mr. West, senior clergyman (not already in- 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 53 

vited), be requested to pray; and, with the Rev. Mr. Clarke, be 
invited to diue with the Society. 

" 4. That there be a master and four marshals of ceremonies to 
conduct the business of the day. [These were, — General Henry 
Jackson, master ; Major Gibbs, Captains Nicholson and Simeon 
Jackson, and Colonel Winslow, marshals.] 

" 5. As some of our worthy brethren are unable to dine with the 
Society on account of the expense attending, we beg leave to recom- 
mend that each member of the Society who meets on the 4th inst. 
pays into the hands of the master of ceremonies six shillings lawful 
money as his full proportion of the expense of the day ; that the 
master of ceremonies call the bill not exceeding the sun's setting^ 
and the treasurer of the Society be directed to pay the deficiency of 
the bills out of the interest on the funds in his hands. 

" G. That the Society walk in procession from the Bunch of Grapes, 
to hear the oration, in the following order: — 

Two marshals, 

The Society, 

Visiting brothers, 

Standing Committee, 

Chairman, 

Orator, supported by the Clergy, 

Secretary and Treasurer, 

Master of Ceremonies, 

President and Vice-President, supported by two Marshals. 

"7. When the procession arrives at the door of the church, the 
whole are to halt, open, and face inwards. The two marshals in the 
rear will then lead the procession ; the members will follow in suc- 
cession. The same order will be observed on the return from 
church ; and the two marshals in front will halt at the Bunch of 
Grapes, open, face inwai'ds," &c. 

•' Your committee beg leave further to report, that they have 
agreed with Mrs. Lobdell, at the Bunch of Grapes, to have the 
entertainment at her hotel, for fifty gentlemen ; pay her four shillings 
lawful money each ; she to provide the best dinner the season and 
market will afford, agreeable to a memorandum furnished her ; we 
finding our own wine, paying her one shilling lawful money a bottle 
for drawing the corks, and three lawful money a double bowl of punch. 

"As we are of opinion that the best liquors will be most accept- 



54 ' ANNALS OF THE 

able to the Society, we have agreed for the best Madeira wine at 
fourteen shillings lawful money per gallon, and the best claret wine 
at two shillings per bottle. 

" It is recommended that the fragments of the table be sent to the 
prisoners in gaol, and distributed to them under the direction of the 
High Sheriff, if he will please to take that trouble on himself. At 
dinner the master of ceremonies will sit on the right hand of the 
President. The four marshals will take their places at equal dis- 
tances, two on each side the table." 

■ On September 20, Jackson again writes to Knox, as fol- 
lows : — 

" On Monday last all the members of the Cincinnati in town were 
invited to dine on board the ' Leopard,' a 74-gun ship, the captain of 
which, the Marquis de la Galissoniere, is one of our Order. We 
were thirty-six in number, were received with every politeness and 
attention, and had a very elegant entertainment. On Thursday next 
the members of the Cincinnati in town will give the principal officers 
of the fleet a dinner at Concert Hall, in return for their politeness 
to us. We have invited the Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, Council, 
senators, and Boston seat [representatives] to dine with us." 

The first of these entertainments is thus described in 
the " Centinel " of September 16 : — 

" On the arrival of the company, wlio were conveyed in the barges 
of the fleet, the 'Leopard' was beautifully dressed in the colors of 
various nations, and the fraternity were welcomed on board with 
those marks of affection and politeness which so greatly characterize 
the French nation. 

'• At three o'clock the whole sat down to a table spread with a 
rich profusion of various covers, dressed with the utmost taste, and 
served in the best manner, at which, besides the brethren of the Cin- 
cinnati of the two nations, the Viscount de Ponteves, the Chevalier 
de Suzannet, and the honorable Consul of France, partook. After 
dinner a number of judicious toasts were given, the two following 
accompanied by a discharge of 13 cannon: viz., 1. The President 
and Gncinnati in the United States ; 2. The President and Cincin- 
nati in France. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 55 

"On the Society's taking leave of the Marquis, the yards of the 
ship were manned, and when departing were saluted with three 
cheers from the seamen : these being returned from the boats, 
another discharge of cannon was given from the ship. 

" The Society then paid their respects to tlie Viscount de Ponteves 
on board ' LTllustre' of 74 guns, and to the Chevalier de Suzannet 
on board the ' Andromache ' of 40 guns, after which they were con- 
veyed to town." 

Here is the account, from the same journal, of the 
return entertainment given by the Society to the French 
officers at Concert Hall, on the 24th of September, 
1789: — 

"At four o'clock dinner was announced; and the company, to the 
number of seventy, sat down at a table exuberantly furnished with 
a choice variety of dishes, which closed with an elegant desert and 
the following toasts : — 

1. The President of the United States. 

2. His Most Christian Majesty. 

3. The Vice-President and Congress of the United States. 

4. The Governor and Commonwealth. 

5. The Viscount de Ponteves and the Officers of his Scjuadron. 

6. Our President and all the Brethren of the Cincinnati. 

7. The harmony and friendship which cemented the allied armies 
in their contest for American liberty. 

8. The memory of those who have fallen in the glorious cause. 

9. General Lincoln. 

10. General Knox. 

11. The alliance of France and America. 

12. May friendship formed in distress be perpetuated in pros- 
perity. 

13. May liberty and happiness ever distinguish the independence 
of America. 

" On entering the hall, which was splendidly decorated, a full length 
portrait of the illustrious President of the union, adorned with a real 
medal of the Society, presented itself at the upper end of the room ; 
on the right the American flag was displayed, and on the left the 
French. Over the centre of the portrait an emblem of the alii- 



56 ANNALS OF THE 

ance was shown in a brilliant star of thirteen points encircling three 
jleurs-de-lis. At the other extremity of the room was a handsome 
portrait of his most Christian Majesty, with the standard of France 
displayed on the right, and on the left that of the United States of 
America, over which were suspended the arms of France ; and the 
motto, " Vive Louis XVI.," expressed the gratitude of the Society 
for the assistance of this great monarch in the emancipation of their 
country. The orchestra, in which was an excellent full band of 
music, was covered with blue broadcloth edged with white, and thir- 
teen stars and thirteen Jleurs-de-lis alternately arranged thereon 
formed a very brilliant constellation. Over the centime soared the 
eagle of the Union, and the standards of the two nations in minia- 
ture added much to the decoration. Opposite the orchestra were the 
arms of Massachusetts. The chandeliers were ornamented with 
flowers of various tints, as were other parts of the room and the 
table, the whole presenting a coup d'ceil in which simplicity united 
with elegance to captivate the beholder. 

" The tables formed a long semicircle, at the key of the arch 
of which sat Vice-President Eustis ; on his right, the Viscount de 
Ponteves, Hon. Mr. Bowdoin, honorable Consul of France, the Rev. 
Mr. Freeman, &c. ; on his left, the Marquis de la Galissoniere, 
Hon. Mi\ Russell, Hon. Mr. Dawes, Hon. Mr. Austin, &c. ; the rest 
of the company (consisting, besides the officers of the fleet, and the 
Society, of the representatives of the town, the Treasurer and Sec- 
retary of State, &c.) seated themselves as convenience dictated. 

'' The utmost happiness pervaded this fraternity of veterans and 
their dignified guests, which discovered itself in those expressions of 
attachment peculiar only to those friendships which are formed in 
the hours of peril and adversity, and ' have sincerest virtue for their 
basis.' " 

Oct. 27, 1789. President Washington, then on a visit 
to Boston, was Avaitccl on by the Society, accompanied by 
the Viscount de Ponteves, the Marquis de Traversay, and 
the Chevalier de Braye, of the French Society ; Vice- 
President Eustis making, in behalf of the Society, the fol- 
lowing address : — 

"Amidst the various gratulatious which your arrival in this me- 
tropolis has occasioned, permit us, the members of the Society of 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 57 

the Cincinnati in tliis Commonwealth, most respectfully to assure 
you of the ardor of esteem aud aifection you have so indelibly fixed 
in our hearts, as our glorious leader in war and illustrious example 
in peace. 

" After the solemn and endearing farewell on the banks of the 
Hudson, which our anxiety presaged as final, most peculiarly pleas- 
ing is the present unexpected meeting. On this occasion, we can- 
not avoid the recollection of the various scenes of toil and danger 
through which you conducted us; and while we contemplate various 
tr3Mng periods of the war and the triumphs of peace, we rejoice to 
behold you, induced by the unanimous voice of your country, entering 
upon other trials and other services alike important and in some points 
of view equally hazardous. For the completion of the great purposes 
which a grateful country has assigned you, long, very long, may your 
invaluable life be preserved ! And as the admiring world, while 
considering you as a soldier, have long wanted a comparison, may 
your virtue aud talents as a statesman leave them without a 
parallel ! 

" It is not in words to express an attachment founded like ours. 
We can only say that, when soldiers, our greatest pride was a prompti- 
tude of obedience to your orders ; as citizens, our supreme ambition 
is to maintain the character of firm supporters of that noble fabric 
of federal government over which you preside. 

"As members of the Society of the Cincinnati, it will be our 
endeavor to cherish those sacred principles of charity and fraternal 
attachment which our Institution inculcates. And while our conduct 
is thus regulated, we can never want the patronage of the first of 
patriots and the best of men." 

To which the President responded as follows : — 

" To the Members of the Society of the Cincinnati in the Commonivealth of 
Massachusetts. 

" Gentlemen, — In reciprocating with gratitude and sincerity the 
multiplied and affecting gratulations of my fellow-citizens of this 
Commonwealth, they will all of them with justice allow me to say 
that none can be dearer to me than the affectionate assurances which 
you have expressed. Dear indeed is the occasion which restores 
an intercourse with my faithful associates in prosperous and adverse 
fortunes ! and enhanced are the triumphs of peace participated with 

8 



58 ANNALS OF THE 

those whose virtue and valor so largely contributed to procure them. 
To that virtue and valor your country has confessed her obligations ! 
Be mine the grateful task to add the testimony of a conviction which 
it was my pride to own in the field, and it is now my happiness to 
acknowledge in the enjoyments of peace and freedom. 

" Regulating your conduct by those principles which have hereto- 
fore governed your actions as men, soldiers, and citizens, you will 
repeat the obligations conferred on your country, and you will trans- 
mit to posterity an example which must command their admiration 
and obtain their grateful praise. 

" Long may you continue to enjoy the endearments of fraternal 
attachment, and the heartfelt happiness of reflecting that you have 
faithfully done your duty ! 

" While I am permitted to possess the consciousness of that worth 
which has long bound me to you by ever}' tie of affection and esteem, 
I will continue to be your sincere and faithful friend. 
" Boston, October 27, 1789." 

From the " Independent Chronicle " of Julj^ 7, 1701 : — 

" The Cinciimati met agreeably to their Institution on Monday last 
(July 4), and proceeded from Concert Hall to the Stone Chapel, 
where William Eustis, Esq., delivered an oration, deservedly ap- 
plauded by all who heard it. The Society returned to Concert Hall, 
where they partook of a sumptuous entertainment, at the close of 
which the following toasts were given : — 

1. The Day and the fathers of it. 

2. Washington. 

3. The Vice-President and Congress. May virtue and talents be 
the only road to preferment, and integritj' the shield from the shafts 
of detraction. 

4. Our Brethren this day assembled. 

5. The Governor and Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 

6. Support and extension to all institutions which ameliorate the 
heart and smooth the asperities of life. 

7. The King of Frenchmen and the Patriots of France. 

8. May the rights of man be universally understood and success- 
fully vindicated. 

9. The University at Cambridge and the Friends to Science. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 59 

10. Our lovely Countrywomen. 

11. iMay the feeling heart never feel want. 

12. Our Brethren the Non-commissioned Officers and Soldiers of 
the late Army. 

13. Agriculture, Manufactures, and Commerce. 

14. May the aggressor in war sheath the sword in disgrace." 

1792, July 4. The admission of a brother of a deceased 
member hrst occurs at this meeting ; and it was ordered, 
that in future no person be admitted a member but by 
ballot. 

July 4, 1795. At the celebration of the anniversary of 
Independence, sa3^s the " Columbian Centinel " of July 8th, 

"The artillery company of Captain Bradlee appointed a Com- 
mittee to wait on the Cincinnati, and inform them that the artillery 
would, at five o'clock, drink the following toast, with fifteen cheers 
and fifteen guns : — 

" The Society of the Cincinnati. May that glorious band of 
patriots, who vindicated and established the liberties of America, be 
immortalized in the memory of posterity as the exemplars of every 
heroic virtue ! 

" At five o'clock. Judge Tudor, as president of a Committee from 
the Cincinnati, informed Captain Bradlee that at half-past five the 
Society of the Cincinnati would return the honorary compliment, 
and drink the following toast: — 

" Captain Bradlee, with the officers and company of the Boston 
Artillery. May their civic and military energies vei'ylong continue 
to distinguish the town, who led the van in the emancipation of their 
country ! 

" Judge Tudor observed that the above toast would be given with 
three cheers ; ' but for guns,' said he, ' we have none, — we left them 
on the banks of the Hudson.' 

" The enthusiasm of applause which ensued on this appeal to the 
heart of the patriot beggars description : the bursting acclamations 
of the company, the roaring of the cannon, and the silent tear that 
trickled down the cheek of many a war-worn soldier, testified the 
transport of approbation which gushed from every bosom." 

The folloAvinof were the toasts drunk at the dinner of 



60 ANNALS OF THE 

July 4, 1796, which we take from the " Colnmljian Ceii- 
tinel " of July (> : — 

1. The Day, and all who celebrate its auspicious return. 

2. The President of the United States. 

3. The Vice-President and Congress. 

4. Our ancient and brave ally, the nation of France. May 
tyi-ants feel the force, and freemen the protection, of their resistless 
arms. 

5. Our Brethren of the Cincinnati this day assembled through 
the United States, whom neither time nor distance separates from 
our affections. 

6. Our Brethren in France. May the sprig which they gathered 
in America add lustre to the rich crown of laurels their valor has 
acquired. 

7. The Non-commissioned Officers and Soldiers of the American 
Army, by whose valor we were enabled to keep the field. 

8. The memory of those who have fallen in defending the rights 
of mankind. Revered on earth, may they be rewarded in heaven. 

9. The Governor of" Massachusetts. 

10. La Fayette. May the Genius of Liberty give him light in 
darkness, and wings instead of shackles. 

IL The American Flag. May our commerce meet no obstacle 
but the wind, no resistance but the water. 

12. The brave Kosciusko, — an electric spark of French fire to tlie 
people of Poland. 

13. The gallant De Noailles, who fought by our side. 

14. The principles of Civil Freedom well understood and honestly 
practised by all mankind. 

15. May the people of France enjoy ages of rejjose, under a 
government firm as the energy of their arms, and free as the spirit 
which inspires their courage. 

16. AVashington, the President of our Society. After a long and 
glorious campaign, may he retire to safe quarters and full j^ay, — 
the gratitude and affection of his fellow -citizens. 

Ordered, that no member have the right to vote on 
the business of the Society until he is twenty-one years 
of age. Also, that the Standing Committee distribute the 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 61 

entire annual interest of the funds, not otherwise appro- 
priated by the Society, among the unfortunate members or 
then' widows or orphans ; and, that distant objects may not 
suifer from a want of information of , the time and place 
of distribution, the committee were instructed to give 
j)ublic notice of their meetings for this purpose ; to whom 
applications might be made, and the money when granted 
should be paid ; in order that the bounty might be as 
equally and extensively shared as originally contemplated 
by the Institution. 

1798, July 4. On General Henry Jackson's motion, an 
address was voted to the President of the United States, 
on the critical and alarming state of the country as it 
respected the French Republic, pledging the Society to 
support and defend the government. 

1799, July 4. At this meeting, a letter dated May 23, 
from the South Carolina Society, was read ; also the fol- 
lowing extract from the Journals of the Cincinnati of 
the State of South Carolina : " March 4, 1799. The Com- 
mittee who were appointed at the last meeting to digest 
the report of the Committee for perpetuating the Society, 
as agreed tlie 25tli ult., reported the same, which was read, 
adopted, and is as follows : — 

Report. — " That it be recommended as a line of conduct for tliis 
Society in future to observe, should the General Society not think 
proper to adopt a system for perpetuating the same : — 

" 1. That all the sons of original members, and all the male 
descendants of any original members, whether such descent be 
derived through a male or female branch ; or of such officers as, 
having served with rei^utation, died during the last war; or having 
been entitled to become members, died within six months after the 
army was disbanded, who may be judged worthy of becoming its 
members and supporters, — may be elected into this Society, on 
application, after attaining the age of twenty-one years, j^i'ovided 
three-fourths of a legal Quarterly Meeting are in his favor. That 



62 ANNALS OF THE 

each member so elected shall pay into the hands of the treasurer, 
for the use of the fund, the sum of thirty dollars. 

"• 2. That all the officers, commissioned, staff, or brevet, who have 
served in the army or navy of the United States, since the peace 
with Great Britain, for six years, and who still continue therein, 
or who, after having served as aforesaid for six years, left the ser- 
vice with reputation, or who shall have been deranged by any act 
or resolution of the Congress of the United States, after having 
served with reputation for three years ; and all those who are or 
shall hereafter be appointed to a command in the array or navy of 
the United States, commissioned, brevet, or staff, and who shall 
have served therein with reputation for six years, or who shall be 
deranged by any act or resolution of Congress after a service with 
reputation for three years, — may be admitted into this Society, 
upon application, by election, provided three-fourths of a legal 
Quarterly Meeting are in his favor, and upon payment of one 
month's pay into the treasury of this vSociety, according to the 
respective ranks of the applicants for admission. 

" 3. No election shall be valid without the name of the candidate 
shall be openly proposed at a regular quarterly meeting previous to 
the ({uarterly meeting at which the ballot shall be held." 

The Standing Committee of the Society of the Cin- 
cinnati of Massachusetts, to whom was referred the above 
report, and also a circular letter from the General Meeting 
at Philadelphia, May 24, 1799, report as follows: — 

"By the first Institution of the Society, formed a.d. 1783, the 
officers of the American army associated ' to endure as long as they 
shall endure, or any of their eldest male posterity^ and in failure 
thereof the collateral branches who may be judged worthy of becoming 
members.' By this Institution, the eldest male branches of officers 
who died in the service had also a right to become members. 

"In the year 1784, an alteration of the original Institution was 
proposed by the General Meeting, and transmitted to the several 
State societies. By this constitution the hereditary succession was 
done away, without substituting any means of preserving the exist- 
ence of the Society. 

"On the 4th of July, 1784, the Institution, 'as altered and 
amended,' was accepted by the Society of Massachusetts. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 63 

"July 4, 1786, the Massachusetts Society voted as follows; viz., 
' That the vote of the Society, passed July 4, 1784, accepting the 
Institution as altered and amended, be reconsidered so far as to 
give instructions to the delegates to be chosen to the next General 
Meeting respecting the said Institution.' 

"In April, 1787, instructions were given providing that vacancies 
should be supplied by elections from the oldest male heii'S of deceased 
members, and that no alterations should be made by virtue of which 
the funds could be removed from the possession and control of the 
vState societies. These instructions were, in substance, again given 
in 1789. In 1793 the General Meeting recommended to the State 
societies to pass votes rendering valid the proceedings of seven 
States present at a General Meeting. 

" By which it appears that, as the vote of Massachusetts, accepting 
the Institution as altered and amended, was afterward reconsidered, 
and as a number of the other State societies did not accept the 
same, the Society rests on the original Institution of a.d. 1783." 

The Committee propose the following votes for the con- 
sideration of the Society : — 

" 1. In lieu of the hereditary succession provided by the original 
Institution, it is the opinion of this Society that vacancies should be 
supplied by an election of members by ballot, in which the eldest 
male heir of a deceased officer should be considered the candidate, 
and that the assent of three-fourths of the members present at a 
regular meeting should be necessary to his admission ; and in case 
such candidate should fail to be admitted by the before-mentioned 
majority, the next eldest male heir should become the next candi- 
date, and so on until an election should be elfected. 

" 2. That all such alterations and amendments of the Institution 
of the Cincinnati as shall be concurred in by the representatives of 
seven State societies present in the next General Meeting shall be 
obligatory, and inviolably observed by every State society ; excepting 
that no alteration or amendment shall be made or become obligatory 
by virtue of which the funds shall be removed from the possession 
and control of the State societies. 

" 3. That the delegates to the next General Meeting be furnished 
with an attested copy of the preceding votes for their instruction 
and government ; and that in any other alterations which may be 



64 ANNALS OF THE 

proposed the Society confide in their discretion and judgment to 
make such decision as shall promote the honor and interests of the 
institution." 

This report was accepted and confirmed by the Society. 

1800, January 15. At a special meeting it was ordered 
" that the members of the Society continue to wear a black 
crape cockade in the hat till the 5th day of July next, as 
a badge of mourning for their deceased President-general, 
George Washington ; " and " that the Standing Com- 
mittee appoint some member of the Society to deliver an 
oration at the annual meeting on the fourth of July next, 
commemorative of the American Revolution, and of the 
virtues and talents which distinguished the eventful life of 
the illustrious Washington." (It does not appear that an 
oration was delivered in accordance with this vote ; that 
before the town authorities, 4th July, was delivered by 
Joseph Hall, Esq.) 

1800, July 4. Ordered, that the Standing Committee 
procure three hundred printed copies of the original Insti- 
tution, together with the names of the original members of 
the State association. From the " Centinel " of July 5, 
we take the following : — 

"After the f^hoice of officers, the Society sat down to an elegant, 
entertainment, and recognized anew the friendships formed in the 
hours of peril, in the following toasts: — 

1. The Day. Immortality to the intrepid column of enlightened 
statesmen who gave it birth. 

2. The memory of our deceased President-general, who led the 
advanced guard, and so well brought up the rear, at the close of the 
Revolutionary campaign. 

3. The Societies of the Cincinnati this day formed into messes 
through the United States, to participate the full rations of Peace 
and Independence. 

4. The President of the United States. May he turn the flanks of 
his enemies, press down their centre, throw their wliole line into con- 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 65 

fusion, capture their standards, military chest, and artillery, and 
burn their ba^ifajje. 

0. Our Citadel, — the Constitution of the United States. May its 
foundation be always found too deep to be sapped by faction, and 
its ramparts too elevated to admit a lodgement from the scaling 
ladders of Ambition. 

6. Our Envoys to France. May the Flag of Truce they carry 
honorably terminate the Gallic campaign. 

7. The Governor and Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A grand 
division, conspicuous for discipline and prompt obedience to orders. 

8. May the enemies of true Republicanism be formed into a corps 
of camp color men, and never obtain a discharge. 

9. Our Foreign Members who have survived the disasters of 
their country. May those of them who have been engaged upon 
the Forlorn Hope soon get back into safe quarters. 

10. The memory of our departed brothers, who fell to secure the 
triumph of principles in which we this day rejoice. 

11. Their Widows and Orphans, May we be always ready to 
share provisions with them, divide our month's pay, and assist in 
getting them well hutted. 

12. The Non-commissioned Officers and Soldiers of the Revolu- 
tionai'y Army. Ready to strike tents at the beating of the general, 
with three days' provisions cooked, canteens filled, and march off" 
quick time to oppose any attack upon the liberties of our country. 

13. Agriculture, Commerce, and Arts, Manufactures and the 
Fisheries. 

14. May the pirates of the ocean, whatever flag they may dis- 
play, meet the rewards of their infamy. 

15. The American Fair. May honor and success always accom- 
pany their generous efforts in the recruiting service. 

16. Washington! our late file-leader. May we follow him in 
slow time to the permanent cantonment, and be all found near his 
Head-quarters at the final Roll-call." 

1801, July 4. Ordered, that the Standing Committee 
consist of fifteen members, and that seven members form 
a quorum for granting money. No person to be admitted a 
member of the Society until he shall have attained the 
age of twenty-one. 



66 ANNALS OF THE 

1802, July 5. Ordered, that persons hereafter admitted, 
in right of succession, as members, subscribe a form of 
declaration, to the effect that they are sons or next eldest 
male heirs of deceased members, and that they will be 
governed by the rules of the Societ}^. 

At the annual meeting in 1803, the Standing Committee 
was "' instructed to prefer a memorial to the Legislature 
for an act of incorporation to enable the Society the better 
to hold and manage their funds." The act was joassed 
13 May, 1806. See Appendix. (The only other State 
Society Avhich has been incorporated is that of Pennsyl- 
vania, chartered in 1792.) 

At the annual meeting in July, 1805, the Standing- 
Committee to whom was referred the petition of General 
Rufus Putnam, and our other brethren resident in the 
State of Ohio, — praying that a certain proportion of this 
State Society's funds, equal to what they, the petitioners, 
originally subscribed and paid in, may be refunded and 
transmitted them for the purpose of forming a fund for a 
Society of Cincinnati, which they have thought proper to 
create in that State, — after having maturely considered 
the subject of said petition, and given it all that deliberate 
and candid attention justly due to their distant and 
respected brothers, unanimously report adversely to the 
said petition, for the following reasons : — 

" 1. By tlie Constitation of the Society it was clearly intended to. 
form one family of brethren, to consist of thirteen cantons, and no 
more, for ever. Nor is there any provision, either expressed or im- 
plied, given either to the General Meeting or to either of the State 
societies, to create any additional society, or to transfer any part 
of the original funds for this purpose. 

'' 2. The stock of the Massachusetts Cincinnati was expressly 
subscribed and paid into the treasury for the exclusive use of the 
members of that State Society, so long as they should continue 
members, and no longer. Couhl a i'Qw individuals detach them- 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 67 

seh'es and erect another State society, others might withdraw 
themselves and funds, and erect branches in the same State; and 
thus the strength and respectability of the original institution would 
be weakened, and one of its most important objects be defeated. 

" 3. Should the request of the memorialists be acceded to, we 
should set a precedent which might render us obnoxious to the cen- 
sure of other State societies, and our authority so to act disputed 
and denied by the General Society, and thus a spirit of discord be 
introduced to the infinite detriment of that union upon which the 
common good of our institution is so dependent. 

" Whilst bound to state this our dissent to a novel, and what we 
must consider an irregular proposal, we wish our worthy brethren 
of Ohio, our faithful comrades in honor and in toil, to be assured of 
our unabated friendship ; that we hold their subscriptions as a 
sacred deposit for their benefit, in common with the other members ; 
and that if misfortune at any time should compel an application for 
pecuniary aid, we will most cheerfully and promptly give to it all 
the weight which the individual would be entitled to were he an 
inhabitant of any part of this Commonwealth." 

1806, July 4. Regulations were adopted, which in 1811 
were incorporated into the By-laws of the Society. 

Aug. 5. Ordered, by the Standing Commitftee, " That 
as a mark of respect to the memor}^ of our deceased friend 
and brother, Thomas Edwards, Esq., our Secretary, and 
judge-advocate-general of the late Revolutionar}^ army, 
the Society be requested to attend his funeral on the 
morrow." 

Oct. 13. The Society, in testimony of their sense of 
the faithful services of General Henry Jackson, as their 
Treasurer for twenty-three years, " in which time their 
funds have been preserved in a manner equally honorable 
to him and satisfactory to the Society," voted him "a 
silver cup not exceeding two hundred dollars in value," 
engraved with the arms of the Society and the following 
inscription : — 



68 ANNALS OF THE 

July 4, 1806. 

The Massachusetts Society of Cincinnati 

To General Henry Jackson, 

In testimony of their sense of his faithful services as their 
Treasurer from the year 1783 to 1806. 

This cup, procured in Europe, was not received by the 
Society until Feb. 1810, some months after Jackson's 
decease. 

Nov. 21. The Standing Committee recommended to 
the members of the Society to wear bhick crape on the 
left arm for thirty days in testimony of their affection and 
respect for their deceased friend, Major-General Henry 
Knox, late Vice-president-general of the Society. 

1808, July 4. The Committee, to whom were referred 
letters from Lieutenant-Colonel Bayard and others at 
Pittsburg, and also of Matthew McConnell and others at 
Philadelphia, on the su])ject of an application to Congress 
for compensation on account of the depreciated currency, 
in which they were paid the commutation of five years' 
pay, reported it " not expedient to join in the application." 

" 1809, Jan. 6. The Standing Committee of the Cincinnati hav^e 
the painful task of announcing to the Society the death of their old 
friend and companion, General Henry Jackson. His services and 
his usefulness as a member of the institution from its earliest estab- 
lishment as an active member of the Committee ; as the Treasurer, 
who has preserved and managed the funds for nearly 26 years, are 
recorded in the prosperity of the Society and in. the grateful hearts 
of his brother officers. Sensible of his worth and afflicted by his 
death, the Committee recommend an observance of the following 
votes as the last token of respect from his surviving brethren : — 

" That the Society walk in procession at the funeral of their late 
Treasurer, General Henry Jackson, on Saturday next; that the 
usual emblem of mourning be attached to the Bach/e of the Society, 
and that black crape be worn on the left arm." 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 69 

1810, May 9. Upon receiving news of the death of the 
President of the Society, General Benjamin Lincoln, 
ordered that the Society attend his funeral at Hingham, 
on Friday, and that they wear black crape on the left arm 
for thirt}^ days, 

July 4. General John Brooks was chosen President, 
to supply the place of General Lincoln, who had presided 
over the Society from its organization in 1783, to May, 
1810, with the entire approbation of every member, and 
the grateful tribute of his surviving comrades, for his 
happy guidance and affectionate attentions during so long 
a period. The thanks of the Society were presented to 
Dr. Eustis for his long services as Vice-president of the 
Society, 

In this connection an anecdote is furnished by the 
" Reminiscences " of General W, H. Sumner : — 

" Brooks and Eustis, two old cronies of the Revolution, were 
(long) on unfriendly terms. The difference was caused by the 
election of Brooks as President of the Cincinnati, a vacancy having 
occurred while Eustis was vice-president of it, and absent from the 
country, I think. The blame of the election could not be thrown 
upon Brooks, however, for he had no thought of being placed in 
that situation when the ballot was thrown. But afterward, when 
the observation was made (o Eustis that it was not Brooks's fault 
that this was done, ' I know it,' he replied ; ' but it was his fault that 
he accepted it : he ought not to have done so.' 

"The friends of both exerted themselves to bring about a recon- 
ciliation ; and, an interview being arranged, ' they did not embrace 
each other merely as old friends, but they shook hands so heartily, 
and the intercourse was so familiar — the one calling the other 
" John," and the other calling l^ustis " Doctor," and sometimes 
" Bill " — that they parted with as friendly feelings as had existed 
between them at any former period.' " 

1811, July 4. By-laws were reported and accepted by 
the Society. 



70 ANNALS OF THE 

In 1812, the Society caused a volume of its Institution, 
proceedings, and list of members to be prepared, four hun- 
dred of which were printed. 

1813, July 4. Dr. Stephen Thayer having presented 
to the Society a portrait of General Henry Jackson, the 
Secretary Dr. Townsend thus acknowledged the gift: 
" Sir, — The Secretary of the State Society of Massachu- 
setts has been specially instructed to return you their 
thanks for the portrait you have been so good as to present 
them, of the late General Henry Jackson, their former 
Treasurer, and to assure you that they shall preserve it as 
a precious relic, annually to remind them how nuuh they 
are indebted to the integrity and care of that excellent 
deceased officer and brother.*' 

1817, July 4. The Society proceeded in a body to the 
Exchange Coffee House, the head-quarters of James Mon- 
roe, President of the United States, then visiting Bos- 
ton, and presented to him the following congratidatory 
address : — 

"Siij, — "While meeting- you as one of our most distinguished 
brothers, permit us especially to thank you for furnishing an oppor- 
tunity of saluting another chief magistrate of the United States 
taken from our ranks, and to offer you all the assurance of respect 
and affection which it becomes a society like ours to present, and 
which we pray you to accept as flowing from hearts first united by 
the powerful sympathies of common toils and dangers. 

" Althongh time is f^\st reducing our original associates, we trust 
that while one remains he will never desert the standard of freedom 
and his country, nor our sons forget the sacred duties their sires had 
sworn to discharge. We fought to obtain security, self-government, 
and political happiness ; and the man who can approve both the 
principles and the means can never be indifferent to the social 
desif^ns wdiich such a warfare contemplated, for among those pur- 
poses were included the restoration of good humor, good manners 
good neighborhood, political integrity, with a sjiirit of mild and 
manly patriotism. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 71 

" We congratulate you, as the highest representative of our be- 
loved country, that party animosity has on all sides so far subsided 
before the day-star of sound national policy, and we look with con- 
fidence to a wise and liberal administration of the presidency to 
produce its termination. And now, sir, on bidding you a long fare- 
well, — for from our lessening number such another occasion can 
scarcely again occur, — we join our best wishes that you shall seek 
a retreat from the honorable fatigues of public energies in which so 
large a portion of your life has been employed, that your retirement 
may be accompanied by the applause of the wise and the concurrent 
blessings of a prosperous and united Republican Empire." 

To this address tlic President made the following 
reply : — 

" The affectionate address of my brothers of the Cincinnati 
awakens in my mind the most grateful emotions. 

" No approbation can be more dear to me than that of those with 
whom I have had the honor to share the common toils and perils of 
the war for our independence: we were embarked in the same 
sacred cause of liberty, and we have lived to enjoy the reward of 
our common labors. Many of our companions-in-arms fell in the 
field before our Independence was achieved, and many less fortuuate 
than ourselves lived not to witness the perfect fulfilment of their 
hopes in the prosperity and happiness of our country. You do but 
justice to yourselves in claiming the confidence of your country, 
that you can never desert the standard of freedom. You fought to 
obtain it in times when men's hearts and principles were severely 
tried ; and your public sacrifices and honorable actions are the best 
pledges of your sincere and devoted attachment to our excellent 
Constitution. 

"May your children never forget the sacred duties devolved on 
them, to preserve the inheritance so gallantly acquired by their 
fathers. May they cultivate the same manly patriotism, the same 
disinterested friendship, and the same political integrity which has 
distinguished you, and that unite in perpetuating the social concord 
and public virtue on which the future prosperity of our country 
must so essentially depend. I feel most deeply the truth of the 
melancholy suggestion, that we shall probably meet no more. 



72 ANNALS OF THE 

Wliile, however, we remain in life, I shall continue to hope for 
your countenance and support, so far as my public conduct may 
entitle me to your confidence ; and, in bidding you farewell, I pray 
a kind Providence long to preserve your valuable lives for the honor 
and benefit of our country." 

The Society then accompanied the President to the Old 
South Meeting House, where the annual oration was de- 
livered ; after which, in compliance with an invitation 
from the supreme executive, they paid their respects to 
the Governor and Council of the Commonwealth at the 
State House, where they partook of a sumptuous collation, 
at which the President was an honored guest. 

In 1822 occurs the first instance of the election of a 
" cousin and nearest male relative," to succeed a deceased 
mendjer. 

We take from the '' Centinel " of July 6, 1822, the fol- 
lowing : — 

" The Society held their annual meetings at the Exchange Coffee 
House. The few [original members] who remain may be consid- 
ered as the I'ear guard of the old army. Twenty-four of these grey- 
headed veterans, with their adopted sons, amounting to about as 
many more, dined together, where a most excellent table was spread 
by the liberal and skilful hand t)f Mv. Bradstreet. After toasts in 
honor of the dny, the memory of AYashington, the President of the 
United States [Monroe], the Governor and Commonwealth, and 
the memory of Lincoln and Knox, the President rose and read to 
the Society a letter from their old friend La Fayette, desiring par- 
ticularly to be remembered to the members of the Cincinnati, and 
he was accordingly toasted with renewed feelings of friendship and 
affection. Other toasts were then drank to — ' The Army wdiich 
achieved our Lidependence. Death has thinned its ranks, but its 
form is protected by the shield of immortality.' 

" Tlie Constitution of the United States. 

"The survivors of the Revolutionary Army; some of them have 
wounds to speak their merits : may their country not be deaf to 
' those eloquent moutlis.' 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 73 

" Our sister States in the South. May the time soon come when 
their songs of liberty shall no longer mingle with the sighing of 
slaves." 

Dr. James Thacher volunteered the following : — 

'"We wear but one coat at a time.' To explain this sentiment 
Dr. T. related the following anecdote : ' When Arnold fled from 
West Point, having got safe himself on board the Vulture sloop-of- 
w^ar, he turned to his barge's crew, and said, " JNIy lads, if you 
choose to join the British with me, I will take care of you and make 
you corporals in the service; and you (turning to the coxswain), 
I'll make you a sergeant." " I thank you, sir," said lugersoU, " I 
never wear two coats at a time." ' " 

In the " Gazette " we find this account of the annual 
meeting held July 4, 1823 : — 

'' This veteran corps took the field again in honor of the day, and 
established their head-quarters at the Excliange Coffee House, where 
they had full rations and flowing canteens. 

'' They went through the old evolutions of friendly salutes, and per- 
formed the manual exercise of cordially sliaking each other by the 
hand. Old military scenes and the toils of eight campaigns passed 
in review. Bunker Hill was fought, Burgoyne and Cornwallis 
taken, the enemy beat at Monmouth, and huts built to starve in at 
Valley Forge. The old officers were rechosen, some recruits 
entered, and after organizing and marshalling the corps they com- 
menced a vigorous attack upon the formidable and well-supplied 
batteries of Mr. Hamilton by a full charge of knives and forks. 
It was no sham fight, and the works were soon carried amidst shouts 
and wine shed. The shouts were uttered in the form of toasts, as 
follows : — 

''The President of the United States. 

" Governor Eustis and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 
" The memory of Generals Lincoln and Knox. 
" La Fayette. 

" The reward of old soldiers: if not received in another world, — 
alas ! poor Yorick ! 

" Tiie memory of General Henry Jackson, our old Treasurer. 

10 



74 ANNALS OF THE 

" The Spanish Patriots. May they have for leaders a Washington 
and a Knox. 

" By Major Jackson, an old artilleryman : May we not over- 
charge our old pieces, and never lieat them liotter than they were 
at Monmouth. 

" By his Excellency Governor Eustis, who, with his aids, passed 
a social hour with the party : Ancient friendships and the recollec- 
tion of Revolutionary limes. 

"By Mr. Tudor: The monument to be erected at Bunker's Hill. 
May it be worthy of the cause and of the men it is intended to 
consecrate, and of the prosperity and glory their exertions have 
produced. 

" After the President [Ex-Governor Brooks] had retired : Our 
beloved President and late excellent Governor. Revered by all, 
beloved by all, may he be covei-ed by divine benedictions as he 
is covered with glory. 

" There were twenty-five original members present, and about 
thirty descendants." 

1824, Jul}' 4. At tlie annual dinner npon this occasion, 
" the Society," says the record, " were gladdened and 
delighted by the presence of their old and respected com- 
panion in arms, General William North, the pleasure of 
whose society gave a zest to the early recollections of the 
old members of the Societ}^, and offered a brilliant model 
for the contemplation of its junior members.'" 

Upon I^a Fayette's arrival in Boston, in August of this 
year, the Society joined in the procession which received 
him on his entrance into the city. He was escorted by 
the Boston regiment to the head of the mall on Tremont 
Street, where the scholars of the jjiiblic schools were 
drawn u]:» to receive him. Taking up his residence in the 
mansion on the corner of Beacon and Park Streets, he 
appeared upon the balcony, with Governor Eustis and Ex- 
Governor Brooks on either side of him, clad in their old 
continental uniforms, while the troops composing the 
escort passed in review. An additional interest was lent 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 75 

to this scene by the fact that these old brothers-in-arms, 
Brooks and Enstis, had made the visit of the gaUant 
Frenchman the occasion for pubHclj burying an old ani- 
mosity. 

On Friday, the 26th of August, the Society proceeded 
in a body to the head-quarters of General La Fayette, 
where the following address, from the pen of General 
Brooks, was read to him : — 

"Sir, — The Society of Cincinnati of Massachusetts seize the 
earliest moment, after your arrival in this city, of extending to you 
the hand of friendship and affection. We offer you our most cordial 
congratulations on your safe arrival again, after a lapse of forty 
years, on the shores of our favored country, — once the tlieatre of 
our united toils, privations, and combats with a powerful foe ; now 
the peaceful domain of a great, a free, and independent people. 

"We hail you, sir, in unison with the millions of our fellow- 
citizens, — we most respectfully hail you as a statesman, as a philan- 
thropist, and as the earlj^, inflexible, and devoted friend not only of 
our beloved country, but of the sacred principles of civil liberty and 
human rights. But we greet you under more tender and hallowed 
associations in the endearing relation of a brother soldier who, in 
the ardor of youth, commenced in the field with us your career of 
glory in the holy cause of liberty and American Independence. 
But here recollections crowd upon us too powerful for utterance. 
Words would but mock the deep emotions of our hearts, should we 
attempt to express them in contemplating the character, attributes, 
and services of the paternal chief under whose auspices we trod 
together the field of honor. To the profound veneration and love for 
his memory which penetrates your bosom, we refer you as a tran- 
script of our own. It would be vain to imagine the joy that would 
swell the great mind of Washin2;tou, were he still livinnj, to recoff- 
nize with our nation the generous disinterestedness, the glowing 
ardor, the personal sacrifices, and. the gallant achievements of his 
much-loved La Fayette. 

" But it is equally vain to endeavor on this occasion to exclude 
such reflections from tlie mind, or to deny it the melancholy pleasure 
of lingering on the solemn reality, that not a single individual of the 



76 ANNALS OF THE 

general staff of the army of the American Revolution survives to 
participate in the joy that your presence in the United States has 
awakened. 

" To us it is peculiarly grateful that you are permitted, after the 
lapse of so long a period, to witness the consummation of the prin- 
ciples of our Ilevolutiou. You will perceive, sir, that the hopes 
and predictions of the wise and good men who were your particular 
associates in the arduous struggle have heen fulfilled, have been 
surpassed. You will behold a great people united in their prin- 
ciples of jurisprudence, cemented together by the strong ties of 
mutual interests, and happy under the fostering influence of a free 
and energetic government. 

" You will therefore allow us to reiterate our felicitations on your 
safe ai'rival among ns, and to welcome you once more to the good 
land which your youthful valor contributed to elevate and distin- 
guish. May your future life be tranquil and happy, as your past 
has been useful, uniform, and glorious." 

To this address La Fayette thus replied: — 

" Amidst the inexpressible enjoyments which press upon my head, 
I could not but feel particularly eager and happy to meet my beloved 
brothers-iu-arms. 

"Many, many, I call in vain; and at their head our matcliless 
paternal chief, wiiose love to an adopted son I ain proud to say you 
have long witnessed. 

" But while we mourn together for those we have lost, while I 
find a. consolation in the sight of their relations and friends, it is to 
me a delightful gratification to recognize my surviving companions 
of our Revolutionary army, — that army so brave, so virtuous, so 
united by mutual confidence and affection. That we have been the 
faithful soldiers of independence, freedom, and equality, — those 
three essential requisites of national and personal dignity and happi- 
ness ; that we have lived to see these sacred principles secured to 
this vast republic, and cherished elsewhere by all generous minds, — 
shall be the pride of our life, the boast of our children, the comfort of 
our last moments. Receive, my dear brother soldiers, the grateful 
thanks and constant love of your old companion and friend." 

The "■ Gazette " gives the iblluwiug interesting par- 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 77 

ticulars concerning the Society's proceedings on the 
memorable celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Amer- 
ican Independence, July 4, 1826 : — 

" The veterans of the Revolutionary army, and the sons of 
' renowned sires,' united in celebrating the National Jubilee, on 
Tuesday, at the Exchange Hotel in this city. On the call of the 
roll, u|)wards of 40 answered; 20 of vvhona were original members;' 
the most of whom are over 70 years of age. Their recollections 
were most interesting, and their feelings, excited by i-eflecting upon 
past scenes and witnessing the present welfare and happiness of 
their beloved country, of a proud and grateful character. A spirit 
of hilarity and joy prevailed throughout the day. One of the mem- 
bers present had not attended for 40 years. At 12 o'clock the 
Society proceeded to the State House to offer their gratulations of 
the day and the occasion to the Supreme Executive of the Common- 
wealth. At half-past three they sat down to dinner at the Exchange, 
whei-e they found better rations, and more ahundant, too, than they 
could obtain ' fifty years ago.' They remained together until 7. 
In the course of this period they were honored by a deputation from 
a large and highly respectable company of the citizens of Boston, 
' the Cradle of Liberty,' who came in and congratulated the Society 
on the national happiness and glory which this jubilee witnessed. 
This mark of attention was immediately reciprocated, and a toast 
offered to the citizens by a committee of the Society ; viz., ' Boston, 
where American liberty was born.' Among the toasts were: — 

" The cause of Civil Liberty in every part of the globe. 

" The memory of Washington. 

" The memory of the late President of the General Society of 
Cincinnati, C. C. Pinckney. 

" The memory of Governor Brooks, the honest statesman. 

" Lincoln, Heath, Knox, Shepard, — their memory is precious in 
our hearts, as sincere patriots and brave warriors. 

" The truly venerable John Adams. One of the earliest to assert, 
and one of the ablest to defend, the Independence of America. 
[Mr. Adams made his glorious exit on this the oOth anniversary of 
Independence.] 

" The memory of Samuel Adams, one of the noblest patriots of 
Massachusetts, correct in principle and firm in pur[)ose." 



78 ANNALS OF THE 

1825, July 4. Dr. David Townscnd was chosen Presi- 
dent in place of General John Brooks, deceased. The 
Society honored the memory of this patriot and statesman 
by its vote of ^Nlarch 2, recognizhig "his public services 
and private virtues, and especially his faithful and honor- 
able discharge of the duties of I'resident of this Society 
during the period of fifteen successive years, in Avhicli he 
manifested the same piu-c and ardent devotion to the 
interests of his Revolutionary compatriots, and to the cause 
of civil liberty, by Avlueh liis whole life had been invariably 
distinguished." Ordered, that the Society attend his fu- 
neral, and wear the usual badge of mourning for thirty 
days. 

1828, July 4. At the annual dinner, which was this 
year set at Fenno's Hotel in Cornhill Square, the Society 
••' were joined," says its record, " by several old members 
whom they had not met for many years, among mIioui 
were Colonel Trumbull [the painter] of New York, 
Colonel Rice of Vermont, and General John K. Smith of 
]Maine ; and adjourned after a social afternoon (during 
Avhich they Avere honored by a visit from his Exeellency 
the Governor and suite, agreeably to invitation) spent 
amidst grateful recollections of the past and anticipations 
of future national l)lessings and prosperity." 

At the annual meeting in 1829, Major Judah Alden was 
chosen President in place of Dr. David Townscnd, Avhose 
decease was duly noticed. 

1833. Suitable resolutions of the Standing Committee, 
elicited by the decease of Major Daniel Jackson, Vice- 
President, and John Callender, Secretary of the Societ}-, 
expressed its high sense of their services and characters. 
Of the latter, President Baury has recorded that he was 
"• the life of the Society, and the soul of Concert Hall. . . . 
That clarion voice has long been silent." 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 79 

18B4, July 4. Resolutions were read and adopted, 
relative to the decease of La Fayette, " the consistent and 
uniform friend of civil li1)erty, for whose public and 
private virtues, for whose heroic deeds and generous 
sacrifices for the welfare of mankind, his memory will be 
cherished in our hearts with sentiments of the highest 
respect." A copy of the resolutions, together with a let- 
ter of condolence, was forwarded by the Society to the 
bereaved family. 

General Benjamin Pierce, in a letter to the President of 
the Society, dated 26 June, 1837, resigning the Vice-Presi- 
dency in consequence of a paralytic shock in th(! pveccdiug 
February, thanks the members for the kindness and atten- 
tion received at their hands, " having," says he, " for a 
long time passed the happiest day of almost every year in 
the circle of its members ; " and concludes l)y expressing 
the hope that " no distribution of its funds may take place 
while there shall be a widow or the immediate family of 
any officer standing in need of assistance." 

1843, June 17. The Society participated in the cele- 
l)ration on this day of the completion of Bunker Hill 
Monument. A grand procession, composed of the military, 
various associations, delegations from the States, members 
of the national and State governments, including the 
President of the United States, and about one hundred of 
the veterans of the Revolution, moved from the State 
House to Monument Square. Daniel Webster was the 
orator, and at least one hundred thousand people had 
assembled upon the spot. And when, after remarking, 
"It is not from my lips, it could not be from any human 
lips, that that strain of eloquence is this day to flow most 
competent to move and excite the vast multitude around 
me : the powerful speaker stands motionless before us," 
he ])aused and pointed in silent admiration to the lofty 



80 ANNALS OF. THE 

and imposing structure, the applause was loud and pro- 
longed. 

1845, July 4. Captain James Sever was elected Presi- 
dent in place of Major Judah Alden, deceased, whose 
worth is thus recognized in tlie records of the Society : — 

" It havino; pleased Almighty God to remove from this world the 
soul of the late venerable President of this Society, Major Judah 
Alden; and whereas his deatli has diminished by one more those 
few links which visibly unite us to the times and deeds of our 
Fathers; and whereas this deceased brother of our Fathers was one 
of those few men whose stern honesty prove that ' an honest man's 
the noblest work of God ;' and also whereas our deceased President 
was in a direct line, and was in local habitation a descendant of 
those original settlers whose feet first pressed the stern bosom of 
Plymouth Rock, — therefore Resolved, That we contemplate our 
loss with sadness and solemnity, as one of no ordinary character; 
and further Resolved, That we cling to our original members with 
more tenacity, more respect, and more affection, the more dimin- 
ished they become ; and also Resolved, That we sincerely sympathize 
with the family of our veteran and venerable brother, and tender 
to them our cordial condolence." 

At this meeting it was voted to admit to honorary mem- 
bership, " for life only, those who shall be hneal descend- 
ants or representatives of those who were distinguished by 
eminent military virtue and service in the Revolutionary 
Avar." Under this rule there have been admitted : William 
H. Prescott, grandson of Colonel William Prescott, of 
Bunker Hill fame (1845) ; Dr. John C. Warren, nearest 
descendant and representative of General Joseph Warren, 
who fell at Bunker Hill, and son of Dr. John Warren, who 
was a surgeon in the Revolutionary army (1847) ; and Hon. 
Daniel Webster, son of Hon. Ebenezer, who was a captain, 
and fought at Bennington. No others have ever been 
placed on its honorary roll ; and at the annual meetmg, 
July 4, 1847, it was ordered that such election does not 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 81 

confer the right of an original member, nor give an hon- 
orary member any title to any portion of the funds of 
the Society ; neither is he entitled to vote, nor eligible 
to ofi&ce. 

1846, July 4. Colonel Henry Burbeck was elected 
President, in place of Captain James Sever, whose char- 
acter and services are properly noticed in the Society's 
records. 

In the volume of Records of the Society, from which 
much of the material for these annals has been taken 
(page 215), will be found a statement by Dr. William Eus- 
tis of the origin of this Society, so far as it came under 
his own knowledge and observation. The original docu- 
ment, found among his papers, and presented by Judge 
Eustis, of Louisiana, to the Society, in whose archives it 
is preserved, appears to have been written long after the 
event occurred. He first heard of an association among 
the officers from Captain Richmond, formerly of the Mary- 
land line, then aide-de-camp to Major-General Gates, some 
time after the orders of Congress for disbanding the army 
were known in the camp at New Windsor and West Point, 
in 1783. 

A week or ten days after learning this, he heard of a 
similar design among the officers at West Point, " not long 
before the proposals came out from which were formed the 
articles that now make the Institution of the Society." * 

1848, Oct. 3. At a special meeting called on account 
of the death of President Burbeck (the last of the original 
members who held that office), appropriate resolutions 
were passed, and a delegation appointed to attend his 

* The want of certain knowledge upon this subject among even the best 
informed members of the Society seems surprising ; but it is undoubtedly 
owing to the reticence and rare modesty of Knox with reference to his own 
actions and merits. Concerning the origin of the Society, see ante, pages 6 
and 7. 

11 



82 ANNALS OF THE 

funeral at New London, Conn. This aged veteran, then 
in his ninety-fourth year, and wlio had been thirtj'^-eight 
years in the military service of his country, sent to the 
Society, June 8, 1848, the following sentiment, which was 
read at the annual dinner : — 

" The original * Society of the Cincinnati,' — the forlorn hope in 
establishing the Independence of these United States of America. 
By their example may their successors labor to preserve and per- 
petuate the liberties that their patriotism acquired." 

A granite obelisk has been erected to the memory of 
General Burbeck by this Society, in the new Cedar Grove 
Cemetery, near New London, Conn. 

1849, July 4. Robert G. Shaw was chosen President of 
the Society. At the annual dinner, among many interest- 
ing reminiscences of the patriots of the Revolution, par- 
ticularly those by Dr. Warren, Mr. Thomas Jackson read 
the eulogium pronounced by the late Hon. Harrison G. 
Otis, in the Legislature of Massachusetts, on Major-Gen- 
eral Heath, " the companion of Washington, the honest 
patriot, the Christian soldier ; " and it was voted to have 
the same inserted in the Record Book of the Societ}^ 

At the meeting on July 4, 1851, a most feeling and 
eloquent tribute was paid by Rev. A. L. Baury to the 
memory of Thomas Jackson, many years Secretary of the 
Society, whose " manly honesty, Saxon simplicity, genuine 
rectitude of purpose, and earnest philanthropy " entitle 
him to grateful remembrance. " His worth," says Mr. 
Baury, " shall not be forgotten among us, nor moss shall 
gather nor oblivion rest upon the name and memory of 
Thomas Jackson." 

1852, July 6. The death of the Vice-President, Dr. 
Joseph Prescott, the last survivor of the original members^ 
was suitably noticed ; the resolutions upon the occasion 
bearing testimony to his learning, ability, and merit, as 
well as to his courteous and gentlemanly bearing. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 83 

Oct. 26. Resolutions appropriate to the occasion, the 
decease of Hon. Daniel Wel)ster, an honorary member, 
were passed at a meeting specially called for this purpose. 

1853, July 4. Charles S. Davies, of Portland, was 
chosen President of the Society, to succeed Robert G. 
Shaw, deceased. Resolutions were passed attesting Mr. 
Shaw's active benevolence and warm sympathies, closing 
with this eloquent allusion to his monument : " We see it 
rising in the distance in beautiful symmetry, and the Angel 
of Mercy overshadowing it. Our brother's own heart 
has been the architect thereof : it is the ' Asylum for the 
Orphans of Sailors.' " It was also voted, that for six months 
the members wear badges of mourning at all their meetings. 
y^ 1854, July 4. The rules respecting the succession and 
admission of members, adopted at the General Meeting 
of the Society at Baltimore, May 17, were unanimously 
adopted by the Society of Massachusetts, as the basis of 
future action. These provide that each Society shall have 
the full right and power to regulate the terms and qualifica- 
tions for the admission of members, providing that admis- 
sion be confined to the male descendants of original 
members (including collateral branches) ; or to the male 
descendants of such officers of the army or navy as may 
have been entitled to admission, but who failed to avail 
themselves thereof within the time prescribed ; or to the 
male descendants of such officers of the army or navy of 
the Revolution as may have resigned with honor, or left 
the service with reputation ; or to the male collateral rela- 
tive of any officer who died in service, without leaving 
issue ; and that the male descendants of those who were 
members of State societies which have been dissolved may 
be admitted into existing societies. 

1855, July 4. Ordered, that the amount to be paid to 
the Society by members admitted under the new ordinances 



V- 



84 ANNALS OF THE 

adopted at the last meeting be $340. This amount was in 
1872 increased to $700, an amount suj)posed to represent 
the pecuniary value of each share in the Society's funds, 
these havmg originated in the contribution by each officer 
of one month's pay of his grade in the army.* It is proper 
here to say that this fund has ever been regarded as a 
sacred trust for the purposes for which it was originally 
contiibuted. 

1856, July 4. Ordered, that such new member as had no 
ancestor who had joined the Society at its original forma- 
tion, and who neglects or refuses to pay the entrance money, 
shall thereby cut off his own claim and the claim of any 
descendant to admission at a future time until the amount 
has been paid. The same rule applies to such members as 
shall pay in part and not in whole. And it was further 
ordered, in 1858, that such delinquent member shall not be 
considered as acquiring or having acquired any more than 
a life interest in said Society, nor be regarded as trans- 
mitting any claim, right, interest, or privilege whatever, 
until the specified sum has been paid. 

At this meeting the Society took appropriate notice of 
the decease of their distinguished honorary associate. Dr. 
John C. Warren. 

1858, Nov. 23. President Davies addressed the Society, 
j)aying a feeling tribute to the memory and services of its 
late Treasurer, Adams Bailey ; the Society also expressing 
its sense of bereavement by appropriate resolutions. 

In 1859 a new edition of the Institution, Proceedings, 
&c., was printed for the Society. 

1862, July 4. The committee appointed to consider the 
subject of grants of pecuniary aid to the original members 
and their descendants, and as to the pohcy to be hereafter 

* For the amount of pay of each grade, see Appendix. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 85 

observed in making them, after expressing the opinion 
that the term " orphan " was used by the founders of the 
Society in an extended sense, meaning by it their children 
after their decease, without reference to their being mmors, 
reported the following rule, which was adopted : — 

" That all grants of aid hereafter to be made b}^ the 
Standing Committee shall be confined to the children of 
original members, and to such members and the widows 
and children of such members ' as may be under the neces- 
sity of receiving it.' " 

A resolution of this meeting expresses its regret at the 
death of a venerable associate. Rev. David Smith, of Con- 
necticut, aged ninety-five ; " the last link which connected 
the men of the present generation with the men of the 
Revolution." 

1865, July 4. At the annual meeting, resolutions ex- 
pressive of the sorrow of the members at the loss of their 
President, Charles S. Davies, and of the Assistant-Treas- 
urer, John Bryant, were jDlaced upon the Society's record. 
Rev. Alfred L. Baury, D.D., was chosen President, and 
died in December following. 

Resolutions of respect to his memory, and m recognition 
of the value of his services to the Society, were passed, 
and transmitted as usual to the family at the annual meet- 
ing, July 4, 1866, at which time Colonel James W. Sever 
was chosen as his successor. 

1870, July 4. Suitable resolutions were adopted and 
placed on record, testifying the respect of the Society for 
its deceased Vice-President, Dr. Wmslow Warren ; also 
for the late Franklin Pierce, former President of the United 
States, Dr. B. F. Hey wood and Zibeon Hooker, late mem- 
bers of the Standing Committee. 

1871, July 4. Resolutions of respect for the memory of 
the late President, Colonel James W. Sever, and of sym- 



86 ANNALS OF THE 

patliY with his widow, were adopted ; and an eloquent and 
touching tribute was paid to his memoiy by Dr. Samuel 
Hart, of Brooklyn, N.Y., his classmate and life-long 
friend. 

At this meeting Rear-admiral Henry Knox Thatcher 
was elected President. 

1872, July 4. The Vice-President, Samuel C. Cobb, on 
behalf of the special committee appointed in 1871 to pre- 
pare a new edition of the Institution and Proceedings of 
the Society, presented a catalogue of the members, com- 
piled by Mr. Francis S, Drake, and asked for further time 
to prepare the proposed memorial volume. 

Dr. Samuel Hart, of Brooklyn, N.Y., read a written 
communication on Revolutionary Claims, drawn up by the 
Rev. Dana Clayes, who afterward addressed the Society 
verball}- on the subject. 

The triennial meeting of the General Society was this 
year held in Boston, INIay 29th ; and they were the guests of 
the Massachusetts Society, by Avhom they were entertained 
at a banquet given in their honor. At this meeting all the 
existing State Societies were represented. 

In closing this brief record of the Society, something 
should be said relative to its beneficent operations. Three 
of its Treasurers, of whom General Henry Jackson was 
the first, Robert Williams, and the present incumbent, 
William Perkins, have administered its finances for periods 
of about twenty-five years each; and have, by judicious 
management, so uicreased its funds as to enable the 
Society to carry out the benevolent design of its founders 
in a highl}' creditable and satisfactor}" manner. 

The number of beneficiaries, wliich fifty years ago was 
nearty ninety, had in 1847 decreased to fifty, and is now 
but about twenty-five. These include a very few of the 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 87 

children of the original members ; and while in 1847 they 
received on an average but about $30 each, they now re- 
ceive annually over $80 each. During the treasurership 
of Mr. Perkins, $44,000 have been distributed among the 
beneficiaries. 

Of such a record the. Society may well feel proud, and 
to its continuance as an association for objects so praise- 
worthy no better wish can be uttered than to apply to it 
the motto of the Society itself, Esto Perpettja ! 



Officers of the Society for 1872-73. 

President. 
Admiral HENRY KNOX THATCHER. 

Vice-President. 
SAMUEL CROCKER COBB. 

Secretary. 

CHARLES DUDLEY HOMANS, M.D. 

Treasurer. 

WILLIAM PERKINS. 

Assistant-Treasurer. 

HON. HENRY AUGUSTUS PEIRCE. 

Assistant-Secretary . 
LEONARD CROCKER BOWLES. 



Standing Committee. 

Rev. E. M. P. Wells, D.D. E. S. Moseley. 

H. Bancroft. A. Williams. 

C. W. Storey. Rev. S. K. Lothrop, D.D. 

G. Daveis, M.D. W. R. Lee. 

B. A. Gould. B. H. Greene. 

J. Pickering. Gen. H. J. Hunt. 



LIFE AND CORRESPONDENCE 



MAJOR-GENERAL HENRY KNOX. 



12 



LIFE AND CORRESPONDENCE 



MAJOH-GENERAL HENRY KNOX. 



/^F the well-known truth, that Revolutionaiy epochs 
^-"^ are prolific of great men as well as of exalted ideas, 
that period of the histor}^ of our own country which marks 
its transition from a state of colonial dependence to that 
of an independent nation presents a striking example. 
Prominent in the remarkable group of which Washington 
forms the grand central figure, and second to none in the 
esteem, the confidence, and the affection of that illustrious 
man, with possibly the single exception of La Fayette, 
his adopted son ; trusted and leaned upon by him as a 
stanch and tried suj)port in moments of anxiety, diffi- 
culty, and danger ; sharing with him in every conflict 
of the Revolution in which that great leader was per- 
sonally engaged, — such was Henry Knox, who rose by 
the simple force of his character and abilities from the 
condition of a volunteer to the highest rank in the army, 
that of major-general. Placed at once by his genius 
and merit at the head of an important branch of the 
military service, — the artillery, — he discovered powers 
admirably suited to its requirements, and which cannot 
perhaps be better shown than by contrasting the feebleness 
and inefficiency of that arm at Bunker's Hill with its ter- 
rible efficacy in the trenches of Yorktown. 

Inferior, perhaps, as a general to Greene, between whom 



92 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

and himself the closest ties of friendship existed, he was 
happier in living to witness the benefits conferred by their 
toils and sacrifices in the establishment of a constitutional 
government, a result which, as the head of the war depart- 
ment, he was indefatigable in his efforts to bring about ; 
while under his auspices was achieved also Wayne's 
memorable victory over the Indians, which gave peace 
and security to the West, and opened to settlement that 
immense region destined to be the centre of Western 
civilization. 

While few of our Revolutionary patriots are more 
worthy of the love and admiration of posterity, there are 
very few to whose memory so little justice has been 
accorded. None engaged in the noble cause of freedom 
with more ardor and enthusiasm ; and none with more 
entire dedication of all the powers of body and mind, both 
of Avhich were unusually vigorous. 

The paternal ancestors of Knox were from the Low- 
lands of Scotland, a place bearing that name being found 
on the southern border of the Clyde, Avithin the barony 
of Renfrew. John Knox, the great reformer, was a native 
of the neighboring district of East Lothian, where the 
name is still numerous and respectable. During the reign 
of James I., many Scotch Presbyterians settled in the north 
of Ireland, whence numbers of them subsequently emigrated 
to America, whose descendants were conspicuous in the 
cause of liberty during the Revolutionary war. In the year 
1729 some of these emigrants landed in Boston, bringing 
with them their pastor, John Morehead, and founded in 
Bury Street a religious society, which was the origin of the 
Federal Street Church, afterward the scene of the labors of 
the eloquent Channing. It is remarkable that the first two 
names found on the baptismal records of this society, of 
which the parents of Knox were members, are those of 



ANCESTRY. 



93 



Knox and Campbell. The tradition in the family of Knox 
was that they came from the vicinity of Belfast, Ireland, 
and that William, his father, was a native of St. Eustatia, one 
of the West Indies. He was married at Boston, on Feb. 11, 
1735 (O.S.), by Rev. Mr. Morehead, to Mary, daughter of 
Robert Campbell ; was a ship-master, and the owner of a 
wharf and a small estate on Sea Street, near Summer, 




miiitllsiiiiflnil 
BIRTHPLACE OP OENEKAL KNOX. 



which he was in 1756 compelled by misfortune to relin- 
quish, and in 1759 went- to St. Eustatia, where he died 
March 25, 1762, aged fifty years. His widow, Mary, died 
in Boston, Dec. 14, 1771, aged fifty-three. 

Henry, the seventh of ten sons, of whom only four 
attained to manhood, was born July 25, 1750. His two 
elder brothers, John and Benjamin, went to sea, and never 
returned, but were believed to be living in 1769. William, 
the youngest, born in 1756, some time consul at Dublin, 
was afterward a clerk in the employ of his brother while 
Secretary of War, and died insane about the year 1797. 



94 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

The house in which Knox was born is still standing, and 
is opposite the head of Drake's Wharf, on Sea Street. It 
has the gambrel roof common to houses of that period, 
and was once surrounded by a garden, which has since 
given place to dwellings. Some changes have taken place 
in it, as will be observed upon comparing its present ap- 
pearance with the engraving, which is copied from an old 
drawing, and preserves its former features. At present a 
portion of the old house is covered by a modern structure ; 
the doorway has been altered, and a low wooden building 
intervenes between it and the street. Here the family 
resided until 1758. 

Losing his father about the time when he had completed 
his grammar-school course, young Knox, upon whoiji the 
care of his widowed mother and younger brother now 
devolved, was fortunate in being employed by Messrs. 
Wharton & Bowes, booksellers, in CornhilL* 

The excellent Mr. Nicholas Bowes supplied the place of 
a father to him, keeping a strict eye upon his morals and 
forming him in early life to habits of industry and regu- 
larity. Long afterward he was enabled to repay a portion 
of his debt to his early benefactor, the widow of Mr. 
5owes having become the recipient of his bounty. Among 
the many estimable traits of Knox's character, that from 
which in after life he derived the purest satisfaction was 
the recollection of his attentive and affectionate solicitude 
for his widowed mother. 

Possessing an inquisitive mind and an ardent thirst for 
knowledge, Knox was not slow in availing himself of the 
advantages around him for its acquisition, and thus ob- 
tained a knowledge of the French language and also of 

* In 1761 they took the stock and stand of Daniel Henchman, situated on 
the south corner of what is now State and Washington Streets. Wharton 
died about 1768 ; Bowes, in 1790. 



BOSTON MASSACRE. 95 

military science, for which he early developed a strong 
inclination. He was also fond of studying the illustri- 
ous examples of antiquitj^ in the pages of Plutarch, and, 
as Dr. Eliot tells us, " gave early presages of future 
•eminence." 

Of a robust and athletic frame, and an enterprising and 
resolute character, he was foremost in the contests between 
the North and South Ends, two rival sections of Boston, to 
the latter of which he belonged ; and it is related that 
once, during the celebration of Pope's Night, the wheel of 
the carriage wliich sustained the cumbrous pageant having 
given way, Knox, to prevent the disgrace sure to result 
from its non-appearance and the consequent triumph of 
the adverse party, substituted his own shoulder and bore 
the vehicle without interruption through the conflict.* 

On the evening of the affray of the 5th of March, 
1770, which took place in King Street, known as " The 
Boston Massacre," Knox endeavored to keep the crowd 
away from the soldiers, and when Captain Preston came 
upon the ground, " took him by the coat and told him for 
God's sake to take his men back again, for if they fired 
his life must answer for the consequence ; he replied he 
was sensible of it, and seemed in great haste and much 
agitated." Knox saw nothing to justify the use of fire- 
arms, and with others remonstrated against the use of 
them. One result of this lamentable affair was to intensify 
the hatred of the citizens toward the " bloody backs," as 



* The 5th of November was set apart for these pageants, which are thus 
described : An effigy of the Pope and another of the Devil were borne 
through the streets by a mock procession, and finally were conmiitted to the 
flames amid the shouts of the surrounding multitude. The rival processions 
always encountered one another, usually in or about Union Street, and 
engaged in a pitched battle, ending in the capture of one of the popes and 
the rout of his supporters, tlie rival effigies being finally made a bonfire of. 
The Revolution put an end to these displays. 



96 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

they styled the red coats, two regiments of whom were 
upon the demand of the people removed from the town 
to the castle. 

Having attained the age of twenty-one, Knox quitted 
his emjiloyer and began l)usiness on his own account. 
From Edes and GilFs " Gazette " of July 29, 1771, we 
take the following : " This day is opened a new Lon- 
don Bookstore by Henry Knox, opposite Williams' Court 
in Cornhill, Boston, who has just imported in the last 
ships from London a large and very elegant assortment 
of the most modern books in all branches of Literature, 
Arts, and Sciences, (catalogues of which will be pub- 
lished soon,) and to be sold as cheap as can be bought 
at any place in town. Also a complete assortment of 
stationery." 

" Knox's Store," says General Henry Burbeck, a con- 
temporary, " was a great resort for the British officers and 
Tory ladies, who were the ton at that period," and Harrison 
Gray Otis long afterward described it as " one of great 
display and attraction for young and old, and a fashion- 
able morning lounge." Intelligent, amiable, and patriotic, 
he was a general favorite, and seemed in a fair way to 
become a prosperous merchant. The gathering storm of 
the Revolution, however, loomed dark and threatening in 
the sky ; and ere long the Boston Port Bill, which put a 
sudden stop to the prosperitj^ of the town, involved also 
that of our young bookseller. 

One of Knox's business correspondents was James 
Rivington, the Tory bookseller and editor of New York, 
who sent him (28 July, 1771) five chests of tea, which he 
understands is very scarce in Boston, and begs him " to 
put them into such hands in the deepest confidence [this 
tea had paid no duty, hence the injunction of secrecy], 
as may be able to complete the sale of them as soon as 



JAMES RIVINGTON. — LONGMAN. 97 

convenient." Knox declined the commission, and in Sep- 
tember Rivington orders its delivery to a Mr. Palfrey. 

Rivington, having sent him three hundred " Other Side 
the Question" (an answer to the " Friendly Address "), 
under date of 1 Dec. 1774, writes thus : — 

" ' The Friendly Address' I do not send to you, for fear of hurting 
your interest: it was forwarded to Messrs. Mills & Hicks to be 
printed. My reasons for not troubling you with these very warm, 
high-seasoned pamphlets is that your very numerous friends on the 
patriot interest may be greatly disgusted at your distributing them ; 
but if you are not so very nice, as I supposed, from the state of your 
interest, &c., and are willing to have these sort of articles, I will 
secure them for you from time to time. Pray explain yourself on 
this head directly, for I mean to show every expression of my 
attention to you." 

As Knox was thorouglily identified with the ardent sons 
of liberty, we can easily imagine his reply. 

His first purchase of books of Thomas Longman and 
Sons of London, dated 22 April, 1771, amounted to £340, 
and up to December, 1772, they had reached a total of 
<£ 2,066. After this there was a great falling off from 
political causes, concerning which he writes Longman in 
November, 1774, as follows : — 

"Sir, — I have received yours per Captain Callahan, and the 
books in good order, also the magazines to August inclusive. I am 
sorry it is not in my power to make you remittance jjer this oppor- 
tunity, but shall do it very soon. This whole continent have entered 
into a general non-importation agreement until the late acts of par- 
liament respecting this government, &c., are repealed, which will 
prevent my sending any ordei'S for books until this most desirable 
end is accomplished. I cannot but hope every person who is con- 
cerned in American trade will most strenuously exert themselves, 
in their respective stations, for what so nearly concerns themselves. 
I had the fairest prospect of entirely balancing our account this fall ; 

13 



98 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

but the almost total staguatiou of ti'ade, in consequence of the Boston 
Port Bill, has been the sole means of preventing it, and now the 
non-consumption agreement will stop that small circulation of busi- 
ness left by the Boston Port Bill. I mean the internal business 
of the province. It must be the wish of every good man that 
these unhajjpy differences between Great Britain and the Colonies 
be speedily and finally adjusted. The influence that tlie unlucky 
and unhappy mood of politics of tlie times has upon trade is my only 
excuse for writing concerning them. The magazines and new pub- 
lications concerning the American dispute are the only things which 
I desire you to send at present." 

During the occupancj' of the town by the British, and 
while Knox was with the besieging army, his store, with 
many others, was robbed and pillaged ; and though long 
after the war he Jionorably paid Longman a portion of his 
debt, yet, owdng to grave financial embarrassments, a part 
remained unsettled at his decease. Upon making this last 
payment of 11,000 guilders (about XI, 000), Knox, under 
date of 15 Dec. 1793, writes thus : — 

"It is but justice to myself to say, that while I experience the 
strongest sensations of gratitude for your forbearance and liberality, 
that it is with extreme inconvenience that I pay so heavy an arrear 
for property destroyed by events whi(?h I could no more control than 
I could the great operations of natui-e, [nor] am I more responsible 
for them : I mean the war. In paying you, I feel inclination and 
duty blended together. Had my pecuniary situation admitted of 
the measure, you should long ago have received the amount due." 

At the age of eighteen, Knox, in obedience to a strong- 
natural l)ent, joined a military compan}^ ; and when the 
" Boston Grenadier Corps " was formed by Captain Joseph 
Peirce, he was one of its founders and was second in 
command. The splendid uniform, military appearance, 
drill and efficiency of this corps, which made its first 
parade June 8, 1772, under Captain Peirce, gave it 
high renown, and elicited the warm encomiums even of 



BOSTON GRENADIER CORPS. 99 

the British officers. Its members, Knox included, had 
volunteered as a guard over the tea ships : and Governor 
Gage had been struck by their martial bearing on the 
occasion of his public entry into Boston in May, 1774. 
Knox was aided in drilling and disciplining the corps by 
its orderly sergeant, Lemuel Trescott, afterward a major, 
and one of the best officers in the Continental Army ; and 
each man was from five feet ten to six feet in height. By 
conversing with the British officers who frequented his 
bookstore, by earnest study of military authors and by 
careful observation of the soldiery in Boston, he soon 
attained great proficiency in the theory and practice of 
the military art. 

While on a gunning excursion among the islands in 
Boston harbor (24 July, 1773), he lost, by the bursting of 
his fowling-piece, the two smaller fingers of his left hand, 
a defect he was accustomed to cover up b}^ the folds of a 
handkerchief, and which, in Stuart's half-length portrait in 
Faneuil Hall, is skilfully concealed by resting the hand on 
a cannon.* 

It was about a month after this occurrence that Knox, 
who was an uncommonly good-looking officer, and pos- 
sessed also a fine military bearing, attracted the attention 
of his future wife. This is related, on the authority of • 
General Burbeck, as having taken place " at the next par- 
ade of the corps, when Lieutenant Knox appeared with the 
w^ound handsomely bandaged wdth a scarf, which of course 

* Other portraits of Knox are that by C. W. Peale and the one by 
Edward Savage, from which the engraving accompanying this volume is 
taken. Concerning this picture. Savage writes to Knox from London, Jan. 
2-2, 1792: — 

" Agreeable to your request, I have sent by Mr. West the half-dozen 
prints from the original portrait which you did me the honor to sit for. . . . 
I was much flattered by Mr. AVest, historical painter to his Majesty, as he 
knew it to be ray first performance on. copper, and without any assistance. 

" No. 29 Charles Stkeet, Middlesex Hospital." 



100 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

excited the sympathy of all the ladies." The good im- 
pression thus made was improved by the young lady's 
visits to his bookstore, and an acquaintance soon sprung 
up, which ripened into mutual love and esteem, and 
resulted in a true and happy union.* Her father, Thomas 
Flucker, Esq., "a high-toned loyalist, of great family pre- 
tensions," and Secretary of the Province of Massachusetts 
Bay, was exceedingly averse to the match, as indeed were 
all of the young lady's aristocratic connections, who were 
Tories, while Knox's sympathies were, as was well known, 
strongly enlisted in behalf of his countrymen. Indeed, 
the match is said to have wanted little of an elopement on 
this account, her friends regarding her social prospects as 
ruined by her wedding one who had embraced the rebel 
cause. 

The consequences Avere depicted to her in lively colors, 
and without any softening of the shades. She was told 
that, while her sisters were riding in their coaches, she 
would be eating the bread of poverty and dependence ; 
that there could be but one issue to the conflict ; and that 
the power of Great Britain was overwhelming. Disre- 
garding all these well-meant Avariiings, the young lady, 
who had fully adopted the vicAvs and feelings of her future 
husband, resolved to follow the fortunes of him to whom 
her heart had been given. Here is a brief glimpse of 
their courtshij) : — 

KNOX TO MISS FLUCKER. 

"Monday Evening, Marcli 7, 1774. 
" What news ? Have you spoken to your father, or he to you, 
upon the suhject? What appearance has tliis [to us] grand affair 

* Mr. Otis, whom we have before quoted, says : " Miss Flucker was dis- 
tino-uished as a A^oung lady, of high intellectual endowments, very fond of 
books, and especially the books sold by Knox, to whose shelves she had 
frequent recourse." 



MARRIAGE. — JOINS THE ARMY. 101 

at your house at present ? Do you go to the ball to-morrow evening ? 
I am in a state of anxiety heretofore unknown. I wish the medium 
of our correspondence settled, in order to which I must endeavor 
to see you, when we will settle it." 

Love, as usual, triumphed over all obstacles ; and in the 
" Gazette " of June 20, 1774, the marriage was thus an- 
nounced : — 

" Last Thursday (the 16th), was married, by the Rev. Dr. Caner, 
Mr. Henry Knox of this town, to Miss Lucy Flucker, second daughter 
to the lion. Thomas Flucker, Esq., Secretary of the Province." 

The young couple at once commenced housekeeping, 
but their domestic enjoyments were seriously interrupted 
by the events of the 19th of April, 1775 : and just one 
year from the day of his marriage Knox quitted Boston 
in disguise (his departure having been interdicted by 
Gage), accompanied by his wife, who had quilted into the 
lining of her cloak the sword with which her husband was 
to carve out a successful military career. Large promises 
had been held out to Knox to induce him to follow the royal 
standard, as it was thought of consequence to prevent so 
talented a young man from attaching himself to the pro- 
vincials ; but his patriotism was as sincere as it was ardent, 
and he did not for a moment hesitate, but embarked heart 
and hand in the patriot cause. 

Repairing at once to the head-quarters of General Ward 
at Cambridge, he was actively engaged in reconnoitring 
service on the memorable 17th of June, and upon his 
reports the general's orders were issued. After the battle, 
his wife having been safely bestowed at Worcester, Knox, 
while declining any particidar commission, lent his aid in 
planning and constructing works of defence for the various 
camps around the beleaguered town, at the same time 
acquiring skill as an artillerist, and was thus occupied for 



102 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

some months. In this employment, the comparative profi- 
ciency he had acquired, by seizing every chance occasion 
for mastering that branch of military science, was of sen- 
sible service to his country, then greatly in need of skilled 
engineers ; and it also proved the stepping-stone to his 
future distinction. The chief work constructed by him 
was the strong redoubt crowning the hill in Roxbury, 
known as Roxbury Fort, the site of Avhich is now covered 
by the Cochituate Stand Pipe. A few extracts from his 
letters to his wife and to his brother during the siege are 
here given, from the first of which it appears that his 
skill and activity had attracted the notice of Washington 
only three days after he had taken the command of the 

army : — 

" Roxbury (Lemuel Childs's), 
" Tliursda}^ Morning, (J o'clock (July 6, 1775). 

" Yesterday, as I was going to Cambridge, I met the generals 
[Wasliington and Lee], who begged me to return to Roxbury again, 
whicli I did. When they had viewed the works, they expressed the 
greatest pleasure and surprise at their situation and apparent utility, 
to say nothing of the plan, which did not escape tlieir praise." 

" Watektoavx, July 9. 

" General "Washington fills his place with vast ease and digtiity, 
and dispenses happiness around him. General Lee will become 
very popular soon. I am obliged to go to Cambridge to wait on 
General Washington, and promised to be there by seven o'clock. I 
am now half past that time." 

" Monday, July 11. 

" I go to Roxbury and Cambridge in the morning, and return 
here every evening for the sake of Mr. Jackson's company. We 
are here in a very decent private house, — Mr. Cook's, near the 
bridti^e. . . . You heard, I suppose, by our neighbor Curtis that our 
people burnt Brown's houses on Boston Neck, except the store? It 
was a brave action, and well performed. Tlie regulars were in 
such trepidation in Boston and on the lines that I perfectly believe 
750 men would at that time [have] taken the full possession of the 



SIEGE OF BOSTON. 103 

town. The new generals are of infinite service in the army. They 
have to reduce order almost from a perfect chaos. I think they are 
in a fair way of doing it. Our army still ' affect to hold the army 
besieged,'* and will effectually continue to do so." 

" August 9, 1775 
"(General Thomas's Head-quarters, Koxbury). 

" I was yesterday at Cambridge. Generals Washington and Lee 
inquired after you. I dined at General W.'s. While I was there, 
the navy prisoners whom I wrote to you about yesterday came there 
on horses. There wei-e seven ; viz., one lieutenant,! one doctor, one 
master, and four midshipmen, — all handsome, genteel-looking men. 
The officers were disposed of genteelly for the present, and are soon 
to be sent into the country." 

To his brother William, 25 Sept. 1775 : — 

" Last P^-iday Lucy [Mrs. Knox] dined at General Washington's. 
Last Saturday, let it be remembered to the honor and skill of the 
British troops, that they fired 104 cannon-shot at [our] woi-ks, at 
not a greater distance than half point blank shot, — and did what? 
Why, scratched a man's face with the splinters of a rail-fence! I 
have had the pleasure of dodging these heretofore engines of terror 
with great success ; nor am I afraid they will [hit me ?], unless 
directed by the hand of Providence." 

On page eighty-six of John Adams's autobiograph}^, he 
says : " Colonel Knox had been a youth who had attracted 
my notice by his pleasing manners and inquisitive turn of 
mind, when I was a man in business in Boston ; " and on 
the same day (Oct. 1, 1776) he writes to Knox, request- 
ing his sentiments upon a plan for the establishment of a 
military academy in the army. The following letter, writ- 

* A phrase in Gage's irate proclamation of June 12, which caused much 
merriment in tlie American camp. 

t John Knight, afterward an admiral. They were taken at Machias ; 
and tlie question as to tlie treatment to be accorded them led to the memo- 
rable correspondence upon the subject between Washington and the British 
commander, Gage. 



lO-i LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

ten while in attendance upon Congress, still further evinces 
Mr. Adams's appreciation of him : — 

JOHN ADAMS TO KNOX. 

"Philadelphia, Nov. 11, 1775. 

" I had the pleasure of a letter from you a few days ago, and was 
rejoiced to leurn that you have at last determined to take a more 
important share than you have done hitherto in the conduct of our 
military matters. I have been impressed with an opinion of your 
knowledge and abilities in the military way for several years, and of 
late have endeavored, both at camj), at Watertown, and at Pliihi- 
delphia, by mentioning your name and character, to make you more 
known, and consequently in a better way for promotion. 

" It was a sincere opinion of your merit and qualifications which 
prompted me to act this [lart, and tlieretbre I am very happy to be 
able to inform you that I believe you will very soon be provided for 
according to your wishes ; at least you may depend upon this, that 
nothing in my power shall be wanting to effect it. It is of vast 
importance, my dear sir, that 1 should be minutely informed of every 
thing which passes at the camp while I hold a place in the great 
Council of America ; and therefore I must beg the favor of you to 
write me as often as you can by safe conveyances. I want to know 
the name, rank, and character of every officer in the army, — I 
mean every honest and able one ; but more especially of every 
oflicer who is best acquainted with the theory and practice of forti- 
fication and gunnery. What is comprehended within the term 
Engineer ? and whether it includes skill both in fortifications and 
gunnery ; and what skilful engineers you have in the army ; and 
whether any of them, and who, have seen service, and when and 
where. 

"I want to know if there is a complete set of books upon the 
military art in all its branches in the library of Harvard College, 
and what books are the best upon those subjects." 

On Nov. 2, Washington writes to Governor Trumbull 
respecting the Avant of competent engineers, and says : 
'^ Most of the works which have been thrown up for the 
defence of our several encampments have been planned 



APPOINTED COLONEL OF ARTILLERY. 105 

by a few of the principal officers of the army, assisted by 
Mr. Knox, a gentleman of Worcester." 

And to the President of Congress on the 8th of the 
same month : — 

"The council of officers are unanimously of opinion that the com- 
mand of the artillery should no longer continue in Colonel Gridley ; 
and knowing of no person better qualified to supply his place, or 
whose appointment will give more general satisfaction, I have taken 
the liberty of recommending Henry Knox to the consideration of 
Congress." 

Gridley, a veteran of the French war, was incapacitated 
by age and infirmity for active service ; and the next in 
rank, David Mason, offered to serve as lieutenant-colonel 
of the artillery regiment if Knox might be appointed 
colonel. There were a number of young officers of merit 
in that branch,* but they joined unanimously in making 
this request ; and he was accordingly commissioned by 
Congress colonel of the artillery regiment on Nov. 17, 
1775. His commission did not reach him, however, until 
after his return from Ticonderoga.f 

The want of heav}^ ordnance, witli which to drive the 

* Many of these oiBcers, among whom were John Crane, Ebenezer Stevens, 
Winthrop Sargent, and others, who became distinguished, were trained in 
Paddock's ardilery company, formed in 1763 by David Mason. Paddock, 
who succeeded Inm in the command in 1768, brought it to a high state of 
efficiency ; but being a Tory left Boston witli the British troops, and died in 
the Isle of Jersey, 25 March, 1804, aged seventy-six. 

t It seems not a httle singular tiiat one who had never been even a private 
of artillery, nor had the advantages of a military school, should have been 
selected for the eminently practical role of chief of artillery of the army. His 
fitness for the position was, however, conceded at once and without question, 
and was afterward abundantly manifested. 

A return of the artillery regiment, consisting of twelve companies, dated 
3 March, 1776, gives 635 men. The field-officers were — Henry Knox, 
colonel ; WiUiam Burbeck, first lieutenant-colonel ; David INIason, second 
lieutenant-colonel; John Crane, first major; John Lamb, second major. 

14 



106 ■ LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

enemy from Boston, was felt to be one of serious concern ; 
and to the enterprising and fertile mind of Knox belongs 
the credit of having conceived and successfully executed 
a project by which the besieging army was supplied with 
the means for effecting that important object. This plan, 
which was approved by Washington, was to procure from 
Fort Ticonderoga the needed cannon and stores, and to 
transport them on boats and sleds to the camp at Cam- 
bridge. 

Armed with the necessary instructions from the com- 
mander-in-chief, and accompanied by his younger brother, 
William, then nineteen years of age, and who was of great 
service to him in this enterprise, Knox left the camp at 
Cambridge on Nov. 15, and, after a brief visit to his wife 
at Worcester, reached New York on the 25th. After 
traijsacting his business there, he started northward on the 
28th, "glad," as he writes in his diary, "to leave New 
York, it being very expensive." He reached Albany Dec. 
1, and Ticonderoga on the 5th. From this place he began 
his laborious and difficult journey homeward on the 9th, 
having put on board some small craft, such ordnance and 
stores as were essential and could be safely transported. 
He was assisted in his arduous labors by General Schuyler, 
and after undergoing much hardship and suffering, and 
encountering numerous obstacles as well as the annoy- 
ances and vexations incident to so hazardous an enter- 
prise in the midst of a severe winter, he finally had the 
satisfaction of reaching camp on Jan. 24, 1776, and of 
receiving the congratulations of the commander-in-chief 
upon the important service he had thus rendered the army 
and the country. While crossing the Hudson on the ice, 
one of the cannon fell into the river near the landing. It 
was recovered on the following day, with the assistance of 
the people of Albany, in return for which service Knox 
christened her " The Albany." 



ENCOUNTERS ANDRfi. 107 

This achievement stamped the character of Knox for 
boldness, enterprise, fertOity of resource and genius, sup- 
plied the means for fortifying Dorchester Heights, and vin- 
dicated the judgment of Washington in selecting him for 
the important and responsible duties of the artillery and 
ordnance departments.* 

A memorable incident of this journey was his encounter 
with the gallant but unfortunate Andr^. The latter, who 
had been taken prisoner by Montgomery at St. John's, 
was on his way to Lancaster, Pa., to remain there until 
exchanged, while Knox was pursuing his way northward. 
Chance made them one stormy winter night inmates of the 
same cabin on the border of Lake George, and even of the 
same bed. Though of opposite political attachments, they 
had much in common. Their ages were alike ; each had 
given up the pursuits of trade for the military profession, 
of which each had made a study ; e^nd their tastes and aims 
were similar. They parted on the morrow with strong 
mutual sentiments of regard and good-will, arid their inter- 
view left an indelible impression on the mind of Knox. 
The respective condition of the two was not mutually 
made known until just as they were about to part ; and 
when Knox, a few years later, was called on to perform 
the painful office of a judge upon that tribunal which con- 
demned Andre to death, the memory of their meeting gave 
additional bitterness to that unpleasant duty. 

To Washington he wrote on Nov. 27, from New York, 
earnestly recommending that cannon for the army be cast 
there, "where it can be expeditiously and cheaply done." 



* " For expenditures in a journey from the camp round Boston to New 
York, Albany, and Ticonderoga, and from thence, with 55 pieces of iron and 
brass ordnance, 1 barrel of flints, and 23 boxes of lead, back to camp (includ- 
ing expenses of self, brother, and servant), £520.15. 8f." — Knox's Account- 
book, (For schedule of cannon, &c., see Appendix.) 



108 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

And on Dec. 17, from Fort George : — 

"I returned to this place on the 15th, and brought with me the 
cannon, it being nearly the time I computed it would take us to 
transport them here. It is not easy to conceive the difficulties we 
have had in getting them over the lake, owing to the advanced 
season of the year and contrary winds ; but the danger is now past. 
Three days ago it was very uncertain whether we should have 
gotten them until next spring ; but now, please God, they must go. 
I have had made 42 exceeding strong sleds, and have provided 
80 yoke of oxen to drag them as far as Springfield, where I shall 
get fresh cattle to carry them to camp. The route will be from here 
to Kinderhook, from tlience to Great Barrington, and down to 
Springfield. I have sent for the sleds and teams to come here, and 
expect to begin to move them to Saratoga on Wednesday or Thurs- 
day next, trusting that between this and then we shall have a fine 
fall of snow, which will enable us to proceed further, and make the 
carriage easy. If that shall be the case, I hope in sixteen or seven- 
teen days' time to be able to present to your Excellency a noble 
train of artillery." 

From Albany, 5th Jan. 1776 : — - 

" I was in hopes that we should have been able to have had the 
cannon at Cambridge by this time. The want of snow detained us 
some days, and now a cruel thaw hinders from crossing Hudson 
River, which we are obliged to do four times from Lake George to 
this town. The first severe night will make the ice on the river 
sufficiently strong ; till that happens the cannon and mortars must 
remain where they are. These inevitable delays pain me exceed- 
ingly, as my mind is fully sensible of the importance of the greatest 
expedition in this case. . . . General Schuyler has been exceedingly 
assiduous in this matter. As to myself, my utmost endeavors have 
been, and still shall be, used to forward them with the utmost des- 
patch." 

And on the same day he writes to his wife : — 

"... A little about my travels. New York is a place where I 
think in general the houses are better built than in Boston. They 
are generally of brick, and three stories high, with the largest kind 



APPEARANCE OF NEW YORK. — ALBANY. 109 

of windows. Their churches are grand ; their college, workhouse, 
and hospitals most excellently situated, and also exceedingly com- 
modious ; their principal streets much wider than ours. The 
people, — why, the people are magnificent : in their equipages, 
which are numerous ; in their house furniture, which is fine ; in 
their pride and conceit, which are inimitable ; in their profaneness, 
which is intolerable ; in the want of principle, which is prevalent ; 
in their Toryism, which is unsufferable, and for which they must 
repent in dust and ashes. The country from New York to this city 
[Albany] is not very populous, — not the fifth part so much so as in 
New England, and with much greater marks of poverty than there. 
The people of this city, of which there are about 5,000 or 6,000, 
are, I believe, honest enough, and many of them sensible people, — 
much more so than any other part of the government which I've 
seen. There are four very good buildings for public worship, with 
a State House, the remains of capital barracks, hospital, and fort, 
which must in their day have been very clever. (It is situated on 
the side of a hill.) 

" Albany, from its situation, and commanding the trade of the 
water and the immense territories westward, must one day be, if not 
the capital, yet nearly to it, of America. There are a number of 
gentlemen's very elegant seats in view from that part of the river 
before the town, among them I think General Schuyler's claims the 
preference ; the owner of which is sensible and polite, and I think 
has behaved with vast propriety to the British officers who, by the 
course of war, have fallen into our hands. Certain of them set out 
from this for Pennsylvania yesterday, among whom was General 
Prescott, who has by all accounts behaved exceedingly ill to Colonel 
Allen of ours, who was taken at Montreal. Here is also Major 
Gamble, who wrote the letters from Quebec which were published 
last summer. There are in all about sixty commissioned officers, 
besides about twenty of the Canadian noblesse, who appeared as 
lively and happy as if nothing [had] happened. One or two of the 
officers I pitied, the others seemed concerned, but not humbled. The 
women and children suffer amazingly at this advanced season of 
the year. It is now past twelve o'clock, therefore I wish you a 
good night's repose, and will mention you in my prayers." 

On the night of the 4th of March, 1776, under cover of 
a furious cannonade from Knox's batteries at Cobble Hill, 



110 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

Lechmere's Point, and Roxbniy, General Thomas took 
possession of Dorchester Heights commanding the town 
and harbor of Boston, which he so strongly fortified that 
Howe, the British commander, though he made prepara- 
tions to attack him on the following day, dared not do so, 
and was consequently obliged to evacuate Boston on the 
17th.* 

Reinforcements were immediately sent to the northern 
army ; and the remainder of Washington's force was, early 
in April, moved to New York, which was soon to become 
the theatre of active operations. 

Knox's engineering talents were now called into re- 
quisition in Connecticut and Rhode Island ; and previous 
to his arrival in New York, on the 30th of April, he wrote 
to Washington and to Mrs. Knox several letters, from 
which we extract as follows : — 

TO WASHINGTON. 

"Norwich, 21 April, 1776. 

" lu passing through Provideuce, Governor Cooke and a number 
of the principal people were very pressing for me to take Newport 
in my way, in order to mark out some works of defence for that 
place. The spirited conduct of the colony troops posted there, in 
driving away the king's ships, alarmed the whole colony for the 
safety of its capital. Knowing your Excellency's anxiety for the 
preservation of every part of the continent, I conceived it to be my 
duty to act in conformity to your wishes, especially as I could get 
to Norwich as soon as the stores which set out on the 14th. Accord- 
ingly I went to Newport, and marked out five batteries, which, from 
the advantageous situation of the ground, must, when executed, 
render the harbor exceedingly secure. 

" Lieutenant-Colonel Burbeck declined complying with your Ex- 
cellency's orders, alleging that the province had settled on him four 
shillings sterling per day during life, after the war was over, which, if 

* The Fluckers accorapanieil the royal troops to Halifax, and sailed 
thence to England, where the father and mother of Mrs. Knox both died : 
the former, in March, 1783 ; the latter, in December, 1785. 



INSPECTS NEW LONDON HARBOR. Ill 

he went out of the province, he might perhaj^s lose.* Lieutenant- 
Colonel .Mason, who came with the ordnance to this town, being in 
ill health, I have permitted to go by land." 

TO WASHINGTON. 

" New London, April 24, 1776. 

"Sir, — In consequence of your Excellency's directions, I am 
employed in looking at and getting the necessary information re- 
specting the harbor, in which I shall spare no pains. I mentioned 
to your Excellency Newport harbor, which, in conjunction with 
this, will, when fortified, afford a safe retreat to the American navy 
or their prizes in any wind that blows. They are equally con- 
venient for ships coming from sea ; and if the wind is not fair to go 
into one harbor, they may go into the other. The artillery and 
stores are all embarked, together with the remaining company of 
my regiment, and have been waiting for a fair wind two days. 

" Admiral Hopkins is still in this harbor, and I believe will be 
obliged to continue here some time. He has this day received in- 
telligence that four ships and two brigs are off Montauk Point and 
Rhode Island, stationed in such a manner that but one appears at a 
time, and each able to come up to the assistance of the others. The 
captain of the ' Cerberus' was on Block Island yesterday, and told a 
man there that he was waiting for Admiral Hopkins, and expected 
in four days to be joined by Captain Wallace and his squadron." 

In a letter to his wife he thus describes Admiral 
Hopkins : — 

" I have been on board Admiral Hopkins's [ship], and in company 
with his gallant son who was wounded in the engageme'nt with the 
' Glasgow.' The admiral is an antiquated figure. He brought to 
my mind Van Tromp, the famous Dutch admiral. Though anti- 
quated in figure, he is shrewd and sensible. I, whom you think 
not a little enthusiastic, should have taken him for an angel, only he 
swore now and then." 



* This officer remained in Massachusetts and never rejoined tlie regiment. 
He was many years commander at Castle William, and died in Boston, 22 July, 
1785, aged sixty-nine. 



112 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

To protect New York city, Washington was compelled 
to hold Kingsbridge, Governor's Island, Paiilus Hook, and 
the Heights of Brooklyn. For all these posts, separated by 
water, some of them fifteen miles apart, he had, early in 
August, but about 10,000 men fit for duty, beside Knox's 
regiment of artillery. Most of the cannon in the field- 
works were of iron, old and honey-combed, broken and 
defective.* 

On July 11th Knox writes to his brother: — 

" Dear Billy, — I received your affectionate letter by the y)ost, 
for which I thank you. In consequence of a false report, my Lucy 
and her babe are at Stamford or Fairfield, where she writes me she 
is very unhappy, and wants to return here again, which would make 
me as unhappy in contemplating the idea which you had of her 
flight as if it was real. Indeed, the circumstances of our parting 
were extremely disagreeable. She had, contrary to my opinion, 
stayed too long. From the hall window, where we usually break- 
fasted, we saw the ships coming thi-ough the Narrows, with a fair wind 
and rapid tide, which would have brought them up to the city in 
about half an hour. You can scarcely conceive the distress and 
anxiety that she then had. The city in an uproar, the alarm guns 
tiring, the tioops repairing to their posts, and every thing in the 
[height] of bustle ; I not at liberty to attend her, as my country 
calls loudest. My God, may I never experience the like feelings 
again ! They were too much ; but I found a way to disguise thens, 
for I scolded like a fury at her for not having gone before." 

To MrS; Knox, at Norwalk or Fairfield, loth July: — 

" I thank heaven you were not here yesterday. Two ships and 
three tenders of the enemy about twenty minutes past three weighed 
anchor, and in twenty-five minutes were before the town. We had a 

* On June 10, Knox reported to ^Yashington tliat there were mounted, 
and fit for action in the city and neighboring posts, 121 heavy and light can- 
non, requiring for their service 1,'210 men. His regiment, present and fit for 
duty, numbered (including 50 officers) 520. He therefore recommends that 
it be immediately raised to tlie required number by draught from the other 
battalions. 



BATTLE OF LONG ISLAND. 113 

loud cannonade, but could not stop them, though I believe we damaged 
them much. They kept over on the Jersey side too far from our 
batteries. I was so unfortunate as to lose six men by accidents, and 
.a number wounded. This affair will be of service to my peojjle : it 
will teach them to moderate their fiery courage." 

August 11th, he again writes her: — 

" You wish to know how I pass my time. I generally rise with 
or a little before the sun, and immediately with a part of the reg- 
iment attend prayers, sing a psalm, and read a chapter in [the Bible at] 
the Grand Battery. General Putnam constantly attends. I despatch 
a considerable deal of business before breakfast. From breakfast 
to dinner I am broiling in a sun hot enough to roast an egg. Some- 
times I dine with the generals, "Washington, Putnam, Stirling, «&;c. ; 
but I am mortified that I haven't had them to dine with me in 
return. However, that cannot be. I go to bed at nine o'clock or 
before, every night." 

Knox's quarters Avere at the battery near those of Wash- 
ington, with whom he crossed over to Long Island daily, 
in the discharge of his duty. He thus writes to his wife 
of the disaster of Aug. 27th : — 

" About two o'clock in the morning (yesterday) the enemy 
atfcacked the woods in front of our works on Long Island, where our 
riflemen lay. They attacked with a chosen part of the Hessians, 
and all the light infantry and grenadiers of the army, and after 
about six or seven hours' smart skirmishing our people fell back in 
front of our works. The enemy lost nearly one thousand killed. 
We lost about the same number killed, wounded, and taken pris- 
oners, among whom are General Sullivan and Lord Stirling. Gen- 
eral Parsons was missing until this morning, when he returned. I 
met with some loss in my regiment : they behaved like heroes, and 
are gone to glory. I was not on the island myself, being obliged 
to wait on my Lord Howe and the navy gentry who threatened to 
pay us a visit." 

15 



114 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

To the same Sept. 5tli: — 

" We want great men, who when fortune frowns will not be dis- 
couraged. God will I trust in time give us these men. The Con- 
gress will ruin every thing by their stupid parsimony, and they begin 
to see it. It is, as I always said, misfortunes that must raise us to 
the character of a great people. One or two drubbings will be of 
service to us ; and one severe defeat to the enemy, ruin. We must 
have a standing army. The militia get sick, or think themselves so, 
and run home ; and wherever they go, they spread a panic." 

On the 15th of September the army of General Howe 
effected a landing at Kip's Bay, about three miles above 
the city, the evacuation of which, already in progress, was 
hurriedly completed by the Americans. Knox, who had 
for some days been engaged in removing the ordnance 
and stores, left the city about twelve o'clock to join 
General Washington. Encountering Silliman's brigade, 
retreating in great confusion in the vicinity of Corlaer's 
Hook, he lost time in attempting to rally the fugitives, 
, with whom he then threw himself into Fort Bunker Hill, 

an unfinished work near the site of the present Centre 
Market, where he " thought only of a gallant defence." 
Colonel Aaron Burr, who was one of Putnam's aids, riding 
up, assured the troops that a retreat was practicable, and 
led them in safety to the Bloomingdale road, near what 
is now 60th Street. Knox, who was almost the last to 
leave the city, escaped capture only by seizing a boat and 
making his way by water. His arrival at Harlem, where 
great anxiety was felt for his safety, was greeted with a 
shout of welcome, and by an embrace from Washington. 

To his brother he writes on the 19th : " My constant 
fatigue and application to the business of my extensive 
department has been such that I have not had my 



HOWE'S BAD GENEEALSHIP. 115 

clothes off once o' nights for more than forty days." 
And again : — 

" Heights of Harlem, 8 miles from New York, 
Sept. 23d. 

" You, with our other friends at Boston, are anxious for our sit- 
uation and wish to know it exactly. It is my lot, and it has been 
so invariably since I have been in the army, to be in an exceeding 
busy department. This I mention not by way of disHke, but as 
an excuse for any seeming negligence or remissness in wi-iting to 
you. . . . The general leading features or outlines of what has already 
happened have, almost ever since I have been this way, been fully 
impressed on my mind. Islands separated from the main by nav- 
igable waters are not to be defended by a people without a navy 
against a nation who can send a powerful fleet to interrujit the com- 
munication. We had one chance to defend New York. I don't 
know whether to call it a whole chance. I think I cannot with 
propriety : it was only part of a chance, which was by being com- 
pletely victorious on Long Island. Even had this event taken place, 
they could have burnt the town by their shipping : this is indis- 
putable, in my opinion. They in their first attack on Long Island, 
lost us by our own fault in not guarding the passes, made such 
lodgement near our works, that they were not obliged to leave more 
than five thousand men to guard them. This would have left fifteen 
thousand men at least to have made a push up the North River, 
and landed in our rear and fortified. Had they taken this measure, 
which in good policy they ought to have done, they might at one 
stroke have reduced the whole army to the necessity of becoming 
prisoners without being able to fight in the least. But in this and 
several other capital matters they have not acted the great war- 
riors : indeed I see nothing of the vast about them either in their 
designs or execution. But, good God, if they are little, thou 
knowest full well we are much less, and that nothing less than the 
infatuation of the enemy and the almost immediate interposition 
of thy providence has saved this rabble army. 

" The general is as worthy a man as breathes, but he cannot do 
every thing nor be everywhere. He wants good assistants. There 
is a radical evil in our army, — the lack of officers. We ought to 
have men of merit in the most extensive and unlimited sense of 
the word. Instead of which, the bulk of the officers of the army 



J 



116 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

are a parcel of ignorant, stupid men, who might make tolerable 
soldiers, but [are] bad officers ; and until Congress forms an estab- 
lishment to induce men proper for the purpose to leave their usual 
employments and enter the service, it is ten to one they will be 
beat till they are heartily tired of it. We ought to have academies, 
in which the whole theory of the art of war shall be taught, and 
every other encouragement possible given to draw persons into the 
army that may give a lustre to our arms. As the army now stands, 
it is only a receptacle for ragmuffins. You will observe I am 
chagrined, not more so than at any other time since I've been in 
the army ; but many late affairs, of which I've been an e} e-witness, 
have so totally sickened me, that unless some very different n)ode 
of conduct is observed in the formation of the new army, I shall 
not think myself obliged by either the laws of God or nature to 
risk my reputation on so cobweb a foundation. 

" The affair of last Monday (battle of Harlem Plains) has had 
some good consequences towards raising the people's spirits. They 
find that if they stick to these mighty men they will run as fast as 
other people. We pursued them nearly two miles. About fifteen 
hundred of our troops engaged ; of the enemy, about the same num- 
ber. The grounds on which we now rest are strong, I think we 
shall defend tliem : if we don't, I hope God will punish us both in 
this world and the world to come, if the fault is ours. Pay Mrs. 
Crane, Avife to Major Crane, fifty dollars, and inform her that the 
Major is in a fair way to do well. He is in high esteem in the 
army, and the loss of his services much regretted by me.* The 



* Crane liacl, a few days before, been wounded in the foot by a shot from 
Captain Wallace's frigate, which he was cannonading. John Crane was born 
at Braintree, Mass., 7 December, 1744, and died at Whiting, Me., 21 August, 
1805. He was a housewright ; was one of the " Tea Party," and lived 
in a house still standing in Tremont Street, Boston, opposite Hollis Street. 
He removed to Providence in 1774, and there raised a company of artillery, 
with which he joined Gridley's regiment in the summer of 1775, with the 
rank of major. He received the same commission in Knox's regiment, Jan. 
1, 1776, and raised in the following year and commanded throughout the 
war a regiment of continental artillery. Colonel Crane was one of the mem- 
bers of Paddock's artillery company before the war, and distinguished him- 
self upon several occasions during the contest, being honorably mentioned by 
General Sullivan during the Rhode Island expedition. After the war he 
carried on the lumber business in Washington County, Me. 



FORT WASHINGTON. — GREENE'S LETTER. 117 

scoundrel Hessians took my baggage-cart, with the great part of 
my necessary matters, which I find very difficult to replace at 
present." 

He wi'ites him also an account of the action of Oct. 

28th : — 

" Near White Plains, 32 miles from New York, 
1 Nov. 1776. 

" Last Monday, the enemy with nearly their whole force ad- 
vanced upon the hills Tibove us ; and soon after ten o'clock in the 
morning, with a large part of their army, began a most furious 
attack on a hill (Chatterton's) on our right, where we had about 
one thousand posted under General McDougall, which they carried 
with considerable loss. Our loss was not very great. Our men 
had no works, and were not timely reinforced, owing to the distance 
they were from the main body. The enemy's having possession of 
this hill obliged us to abandon some slight lines thrown up on 
White Plains. This we did this morning, and retired to some hills 
about half a mile in the rear. The enemy are determined on 
something decisive, and we are determined to risk a general battle 
only on the most advantageous terms. We are manasuvring, in 
which I think they are somewhat our superiors." 

The loss of Fort Washington, which took place on Nov. 
16th, was a serious blow to the Americans. General 
Greene's mortification at the event, as well as his reasons 
for endeavoring to hold that post, are given for the first 
time in this highly interesting letter to his friend Knox : — 

"Fort Lee, Nov. [17], 1776. 
"Your favor of the 14th reached me in a melancholy temper. 
The misfortune of losing Fort Washington, with between two and 
three thousand men, will reach you before this, if it has not already. 
His Excellency General Washington has been with me for several 
days. The evacuation or reinforcement of Fort Washington was 
under consideration, but finally nothing concluded on. Day before 
yesterday, about one o'clock, Howe's adjutant-general made a 
demand of the surrender of the garrison in the general's name, but 
was answered by the commanding officer that he should defend it 



118 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

to the last extremity. Yesterday morning. General Washington, 
General Putnam, General Mercer, and myself went to the island to 
determine what was best to be done ; but just at the instant we 
stepped on board the boat the enemy made their appearance on the 
hill where the Monday action was, and began a severe cannonade 
with several field-pieces. Our guards soon fled, the enemy advanced 
up to the second line. This was done while we were crossing the 
river and getting upon the hill. The enemy made several marches 
to the right and to the left, - — I suppose to reconnoitre the fortifica- 
tions and lines. 

There we all stood in a very awkward situation. As the disposi- 
tion was made, and the enemy advancing, we durst not attempt to 
make any new disposition ; indeed, we saw nothing amiss. We all 
urged his P^xcellency to come off. I offered to stay,* General Putnam 
did the same, and so did General Mercer; but his Excellency thought 
it best for us all to come off together, which we did, about half an 
hour before the enemy surrounded the fort. The enemy came up 
Harlem River, and landed a party at head-quarters, which was 
upon the back of our people in the lines. A disorderly retreat soon 
took place ; without mucii firing the people retreated into the fort. 
On the north side of the fort there was a very heavy fire for a long 
while ; and as tliey had the advantage of the ground, I apprehend 
the enemy's loss must be great. After the troops retreated in the 
fort, very few guns were fired. The enemy approached within 
small-arm fire of the lines, and sent in a flag, and the garrison capit- 
ulated in an hour. I was afraid of the fort : the redoubt you and I 
advised, too, was not done, or little or nothing done to it. Had that 
been complete, I think the garrison might have defended themselves 
a lonf wliile, or been brought off". I feel mad, vexed, sick, and 
sorry. Never did I need the consoling voice of a friend more than 
now. Happy should I be to see you. This is a most terrible 
event: its consequences are justly to be dreaded. Pray, what is 
said upon the occasion ? A line from you will be very acceptable. 
I am, dear sir, your obedient servant, N. Greene. 

" No particulars of the action as yet has come to my knowledge. 
[Mem. on the back.] I have not time to give you a description of 
the battle. 

[Addressed :] 
To Coll" Henry Knox, 

White Plains. 



CONFIDENCE OF KNOX. 119 

In this unfortunate affair, the artillery regiment lost 
about one hundred men, including Captain Pierce. Then 
followed the evacuation of Fort Lee and the memorable 
retreat of Washington's little army through the Jerseys, 
" protracted for eighteen or nineteen days in an inclement 
season, often in sight and within cannon-shot of his 
enemies, his rear pulling down bridges and their van build- 
ing them up," delaying them till midwinter and impas- 
sable roads should close the campaign. On Dec. 13th, 
Howe, believing that the American force would melt away 
at the near expiration of their engagements, returned to his 
winter quarters in New York, leaving Colonel Donop with 
his Hessians and the 42d Highlanders to hold the line from 
Trenton to Burlington. 

At this critical moment, when even the calm soul of 
Washington trembled for his country's freedom, Knox was 
one of those who strengthened his hand and encouraged 
his heart ; and his letters written in the darkest periods of 
the war show that he never yielded to despondency, but 
confidently anticipated its triumphant issue. 

Washington now resolved to strike a blow that should 
cripple his enemy and revive the sinking spirit of his 
countrymen. He crossed the Delaware, Knox superin- 
tending its passage, and by his stentorian voice making- 
audible the orders of his chief above the fury of the 
blast, and surprising the post at Trenton captured the entire 
garrison. After this victory, Knox and Greene were in 
favor of following it up by marching upon New Bruns- 
wick. Washington was inclined to adopt this course, but 
the generality of the other officers opposed it, an opposi- 
tion they afterward regretted. His account of this and 
the subsequent brilliant affair at Princeton is given in the 
foUowinG[ letters to Mrs. Knox : — 



120 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

" Delaware River, near Trenton-, 

Dec. 28, 1776, near 12 o'clock. 

"My dearly beloved Friexd, — You will before this have 
heard of our success on the morning of the 26th instant. The 
enemy, by their superior marching, had obliged us to retire on the 
Pennsylvania side of the Delaware, by which means we were obliged 
to evacuate or give up nearly all the Jerseys. Soon after our retiring 
over the river, the preservation of Philadelphia was a matter exceed- 
ingly precarious, — the force of the enemy three or four times as 
large as ours. However, they seemed content with their success 
for the present, and quartered their troops in different and distant 
places in the Jerseys. Of these cantonments Trenton was the most 
considerable. 

" Trenton is an open town, situated nearly on the banks of the 
Delaware, accessible on all sides. Our army was scattered along the 
river for nearly twenty-five miles. Our intelligence agreed that the 
force of the enemy in Trenton was from two to three thousand, with 
about six field cannon, and that they were pretty secure in their 
situation, and that they were Hessians, — no British troops. A 
hardy design was formed of attacking the town by storm. Accord- 
ingly a part of the army, consisting of about 2,500 or 3,000, passed 
the river on Christmas night, with almost infinite difficulty, with 
eigliteen field-pieces. The floating ice in the river made the labor 
almost incredible. However, perseverance accomplished what at 
first seemed impossible. About' two o'clock the troops were all on the 
Jersey side ; we then were about nine miles from the object. The 
night was cold and stormy ; it hailed with great violence ; the troops 
marched with the most profound silence and good order. 

" They arrived by two routes at the same time, about half an hour 
after daylight, within one mile of the town. The storm continued 
with great violence, but was in our backs, and consequently in the 
faces of our enemy. About half a mile from the town was an 
advanced guard on each road, consisting of a captain's guard. These 
we forced, and entered the town with them pell-mell ; and here 
succeeded a scene of war of which I had often conceived, but never 
saw before. The hurry, fright, and confusion of the enemy was 
[not] unlike that which Avill be when the last trump shall sound. 
They endeavored to form in streets, the heads of which we had 
previously the possession of with cannon and howitzers ; these, iu 



SURPRISE OF THE HESSIANS. 121 

the twinkling of an eye, cleared the streets. The backs of the 
houses were resorted to for shelter. These proved inefTectual : the 
musketry soon dislodged them. Finally they were driven through 
the town into an open plain beyond. Here they formed iu an 
instant. During the contest in the streets measures were taken for 
putting an entire stop to their retreat by posting troops and cannon 
in such passes and roads as it was possible for them to get away by. 
The poor fellows after they were formed on the plain saw them- 
selves completely surrounded, the only resource left was to force 
their way through numbers unknown to them. The Hessians lost 
part of their cannon in the town : they did not relish the project of 
forcing, and were obliged to surrender upon the spot, with all their 
artillery, six brass pieces, army colors, &c. A Colonel Rawle com- 
manded, who was wounded. The number of prisoners was above 1,200, 
including ofRcers, — all Hessians. There were few killed or wounded 
on either side. After having marched off the prisoners and secured the 
cannon, stores, &c., we returned to the place, nine miles distant, where 
we had embarked. Providence seemed to have smiled upon every 
part of this enterprise. Great advantages may be gained from it if 
we take the proper steps. At another post we have pushed over 
the river 2,000 men, to-day another body, and to-morrow the whole 
army will follow. It must give a sensible pleasure to every friend 
of the rights of man to think with how much intrepidity our people 
pushed the enemy, and prevented their forming in the town. 

" His Excellency the General has done me the unmerited great 
honor of thanking me in public oi'ders in terms strong and polite. 
This I should blush to mention to any other than to you, my dear 
Lucy ; and I am fearful that even ray Lucy may think her Harry 
possesses a sjiecies of little vanity in doing [it] at all." 

" Trenton, 2d Jan. 1777. 
" We are collecting our force at this place, and shall give battle 
to the enemy very soon. Our people have exerted great fortitude, 
and stayed beyond the time of their enlistment, in high spirits, but 
want rum and clothing. Will it give you satisfaction or pleasure 
iu being informed that the Congress have created me a general 
officer — a brigadier — with the entire command of the artillery?* 

* His commission was dated Dec. 27, 1776, the day following the victory 
of Trenton, but before the news had reached Congress. That body had 
previously resolved to augment the artillery to a brigade of four regiments. 

16 



122 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

If so, I shall be happy. It was unsolicited on my part, though I can- 
not say unexpected. People are more lavish in their praises of my 
poor endeavors than they deserve. All the merit I can claim is 
industry. I wish to render my devoted country every service in my 
power; and the only alloy I have in my little exertions is, that it 
separates me from tliee, — the dearest object of all my earthly hap- 
piness. May Heaven give us a speedy and happy meeting. 

" The attack of Trenton was a most horrid scene to the poor 
inhabitants. War, my Lucy, is not a humane trade, and the man 
who follows [it] as such will meet with his proper demerits in 
another world." 

" MoRKiSTOWN, Jan. 7, 1777. 

" My dkarest Love, — I wrote to you from Trenton by a Mr. 
Furness, which I hope you have received. I tht^n informed you 
that we soon expected another tussle. I was not out in my conject- 
ure. About three o'clock on the 2d of January, a column of the 
enemy attacked a party of ours which was stationed about one 
mile above Trenton. Our party was small, and did not make much 
resistance. The enemy, who were Hessians, entered the town pell- 
mell^ pretty much in the same manner that we had driven them a 
few days before. 

" Nearly on the other side of Trenton, partly in the town, runs a 
brook (the Assanpink), wliich in most jjlaces is not fordable, and 
over which through Trenton is a bridge. The ground on the other 
side is much higher than on this, and may be said to command 
Trenton completely. Here it was our army drew up, with thirty 
or forty pieces of artillery in front. The enemy })U8hed our small 
party through the town with vigor, though not with much loss. 
Their retreat over the bridge was thoroughly secured by the artil- 
lery. After they had retired over the bridge, the enemy advanced 
within reach of our cannon, who saluted them with great vocifera- 
tion and some execution. This continued till dark, when of course 
it ceased, except a few shells we now and then chucked into town 
to prevent their enjoying their new quarters securely. As I before 
mentioned, the creek was in our fiont, our left on the Delaware, our 
right in a wood, parallel to the creek. The situation was strong, to 
be sure ; but hazardous on this account, that had our right wing been 
defeated, the defeat of the left would almost have been an inevitable 
consequence, and the whole thrown into confusion or jjushed into 
the Delaware, as it was impassable by boats. 



BATTLE OF PRINCETON. 123 

" From these circumstances the general thought it best to attack 
Princeton, twelve miles in the rear of the enemy's grand army, and 
where they had the 17th, 40th, and ooth regiments, with a number 
of draughts, altogether perhaps twelve hundred men. Accordingly, 
about one o'clock at night we began to march and make this most 
extra manoeuvre. Our troops marched with great silence and order, 
and arrived near Princeton a little after daybreak. We did not 
surprise them as at Trenton ; for they were on their march down to 
Trenton, on a road about a quarter of a mile distant from the one 
in which we were. You may judge of their surprise when they 
discovered such large columns marching up. They could not pos- 
sibly suppose it was our army, for that tliey took for granted was 
cooped up near Trenton. They could not possibly suppose it was 
their own army returning by a back road ; in short, I believe they 
were as much astonished as if an army had dropped perpendicularly 
upon them. However they had not much time for consideration. 
We pushed a party to attack them. This they repulsed with great 
spirit, and advanced upon another column just then coming out of 
a wood, which they likewise put in some disorder; but fresh troops 
coming up, and the artillery beginning to play, they were after a 
smart resistance totally put to the rout. The 17th regiment used 
their bayonets with too much severity upon a party they put to 
flight ; but they were paid for it in proportion, very few escaping. 
Near sixty were killed on the spot, besides the wounded. We 
have taken between three and four hundred prisoners, all British 
troops. They must have lost in this affair nearly five hundred 
killed, wounded, and prisoners. We lost some gallant officers. 
Brigadier-General Mercer was wounded : he had three separate stabs 
with a bayonet. A Lieutenant-Colonel Fleming was killed, and 
Captain Neil of the artillery, an excellent officer. Mercer will get 
better.* The enemy took his parole after we left Princeton. We 
took all their cannon, which consisted of two brass six-pounders, a 
considerable quantity of military stores, blankets, guus, &c. They 
lost, among a number of other officers, a Captain Leslie, a son of 
the Earl of Leven and nephew to General Leslie : him we brought 
off, and buried with the honors of war. 

" After we had been about two hours at Princeton, word was 

* Mercer's wound proved mortal, and he died on the r2th. 



124 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

brought that the enemy were advancing from Trenton. This they 
did, as we have since been informed, in a most infernal sweat, — run- 
ning, puffing, and blowing, and swearing at being so outwitted. As 
we had other objects in view, to wit, breaking up their quarters, 
we pursued our march to Somerset Court House, where there were 
about thirteen hundred quartered, as we had been informed. They, 
however, had marclred off, and joined the army at Trenton. We at 
first intended to have made a foi-ced march to Brunswick ; but our 
men having been without either rest, rum, or provisions for two 
nights and days, were unequal to the task of marching seventeen 
miles further. If we could have secured one tliousand fresli men 
at Princeton to have pushed for Brunswick, we should have struck 
one of the most brilliant strokes in all history. However, the 
advantages are very great : already they have collected their whole 
force, and drawn themselves to one point, to wit, Brunswick. 

" The enemy were within nineteen miles of Philadelphia, they are 
now sixty miles. AVe have driven them from almost the whole of 
West Jersey. The panic is still kept up. AYe had a battle two 
days ago with a party of ours and sixty Waldeckers, wlio were all 
killed or taken, in Monmouth County in the lower part of the 
Jerseys. It is not our interest to fight a general battle, nor can I 
tliink under all circumstances it is the enemy's. They have sent 
their baggage to Staten Island from the Jerseys, and we ai-e very 
well informed they are doing the same from New York. Heath 
will have orders to march there, and endeavor to storm it on that 
side. ' There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the 
flood leads on to victory.' For my part, my Lucy, I look up to 
lieaven and most devoutly thank the great Governor of the Universe 
for producing this turn in our affairs; and the sentiment I hope will 
so prevail in the hearts of the people as to induce them to be a peo- 
ple chosen of Heaven, not to give way to despair, but at all times 
and under all circumstances never to despair of the Common- 
wealth." 

After the battle at Princeton, Knox recommended tlie 
march to Morristown, which he had observed to be a good 
position. The army would be on the enemy's flank, and 
might easily change its situation if requisite. His earnest 
importunities prevailed, and winter quarters were there 



PLANS DEFENCES OF THE NORTH RIVER. 125 

established. He was then sent on a mission to the east- 
ward, to see to the casting of cannon and the establish- 
ment of laboratories, during which he visited his wife at 
Boston, whence he writes to the commander-in-chief, under 
date of Feb. 1st : — 

" After my letter to General Greene from Springfield of the 
26tli ult., I set out for this place, in order to provide such materials 
as were necessary to carry on the various branches connected with 
the laboratory and ordnance establishment. Upon my arrival here, 
I was much surprised at the very extraordinary bounty offered by 
the State ($86§) for recruits for the service. Part of a regiment, 
consisting of four hundred men with a detachment of one hundred 
and fifty artillery, marches to-morrow and next day for Ticonderoga. 
The enlistments in this town have been exceeding rapid. General 
"Ward is here, but whether he acts as a councillor of the Massachu- 
setts or a continental general is difiicult to say. There must be one 
battalion of artillery raised in this State ; for all the old artillery- 
men, who have been two years in the service, and acquired some 
experience, are from this town and colony. If the Congress should 
still adhere to Brookfield in preference to Springfield, it will delay 
every thing for three or four months. I wrote General Greene 
from Springfield that it was the best place in all the four New Eng- 
land States for a laboratoi-y, cannon foundry, &c., and I hope your 
Excellency will order it there." 

In the following May we find him associated with Greene 
in planning the defences of the North River. On the 
eighth, Mrs. Knox writes him from Sewall's Point (Brook- 
line, near Boston), wheTe she with her babe had been 
undergoing inoculation for the small pox: — 

" I have no company here but Madame Heath, who is so 
stiff it is impossible to be sociable with her, and ]\Ir. 
Gardner the treasurer, so that you may well think what I 
feel under my present anxiety." And a few days later 
she writes from Boston : - 



126 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

"A French general (Ducoudray), who styles himself commander- 
in-chief of the continental artillery, is now in town. He says his 
appointment is from Mr. Deane, that he is going immediately to 
head-quarters to take command, tliat he is a major-general and a 
deal of it. Wlio knows but I may have my Harry again ? This I 
am sure of, he will never suffer any one to command him in that 
department. If he does, he has not the soul which I now think him 
possessed of." 

To liis wife, Knox writes from Morristown, on May 
20tli : — 

" From the present information it appears tliat America will have 
much more reason to hope for a successful campaign the ensuing 
summer than she had the last. Our forces come in pretty fast, and 
are disciplining for the war. We are well supplied with arms and 
ammunition of all species : this, with the blessing of Heaven, will 
assist us much ; but, I am sorry to say it, we seem to be increasing 
most rapidly in impiety. This is a bad omen, but I hope we shall 
mend, though I see no immediate prospect of it. . . . Though your 
parents are on the opposite side from your Harry, yet it's very 
strange it should divest them of humanity. Not a line ! My God ! 
what stuff" is the human heart made of ? Although father, mother, 
sister, and brother have forgotten you, yet, my love, your Harry will 
ever esteem you the best boon of Heaven." 

Again from Camp Middlebrook, 21st June, 1777 : — 

" We have the most respectable body of continental troops that 
America ever had, no going home to-morrow to suck, — hardy, brave 
fellows, who are as willing to go to heaven by the way of a bayonet 
or sword as any other mode. With the blessing of Heaven, I have 
great hopes in the course of this campaign that we shall do some- 
thing clever. I think in five days there will not be an enemy in 
the Jerseys ; but I fear they will go up the North River, where per- 
haps they may plague us more. The inhabitants here appeared as 
one man, and as people actuated by revenge for the many rapes 
and murders committed on them. The Congress have taken some 
precious steps with regard to Mr. Ducoudray. They have resolved 



MONSIEUR DUCOUDRAY. 127 

that Mr. Deane has exceeded his commission, and that they cannot 
ratify his treaty with Mr. Diicoudray. Pretty this ! — to bring a gen- 
tleman 1,200 leagues to affront him." 

" Camp Pompton Plains, 13 July, 1777. 
" The letter which I wrote to Congress, to know whether they had 
appointed Mi-. Ducoudray, has, in conjunction with the letter of 
Generals Sullivan and Greene, produced a resolve purporting ' the 
said letters to be an infringement on the liberties of the people, as 
tending to influence the decisions of Congress,' and expecting that 
we make acknowledgments to them for 'so singular an impro- 
priety.' Conscious of the rectitude of my intention and of the 
contents of my letter, I shall make no acknowledgments whatever 
Though my country is too much pressed at present to resign, yet 
perhaps this campaign will be the last. I am determined to con- 
tribute my mite to the defence of the country, in spite of every 
obstacle." 

These officers neither resigned nor made the required 
apology ; and Congress having decided not to ratify Mr. 
Deane's engagement, the difficulty was removed. Wash- 
ington had written to the President of Congress and to 
Mr. R. H. Lee, a member of that body, that the apj^oint- 
ment of Ducoudray would cause the retirement of General 
Knox, " one of the most valuable officers in the service, 
and who, combating almost innumerable difficulties in the 
department he tills, has placed the artillery upon a footing 
that does him the greatest honor ; " and he further charac- 
terizes him as " a man of great military reading, sound 
judgment, and clear conceptions." 

The opening movements of Sir William Howe's cam- 
paign for the acquisition of Pliiladelphia are thus described 
in Knox's letter to his intimate friend and life-long corre- 
spondent, Harry Jackson, at Boston : — 

" Camp Midolebrook, 21 June, 1777. 
" General Howe on the 14th put his whole army iu motion. He 
had for a long time past beeu collecting his force from Rhode Island, 



128 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

New York, Staten Island, &c. The boats upon which he designed 
to cross the Delaware as a bridge were fixed on wagons, besides 
which he had a large number [of] flat-bottom boats fixed on wag- 
ons to transport to the Delaware. These boats with the necessary 
apparatus, wagons to convey the baggage and the ammunition 
wao-ous, &c., swelled the number of his wagons to perhaps 1,000 
or 1,100, a great incumbrance lo an army not very numerous. As 
I have before written, our position was exceeding good, and while 
we continued on it the passage to the Delaware would be rendered 
extremely precarious, and to attack us in camp was an event much 
to be wished. However, something was to be done. General Sul- 
livan was posted at Princeton, with a force pretty respectable in 
itself, but not sufficient to stoji General Howe's army ; and he might 
by a forced march push a column between Princeton and us, and 
cut off General Sullivan's communications at least ; but, our intel- 
ligence being pretty good, the general directed Sullivan to take 
post about four miles from Princeton, in such a manner that the 
surrounding him would be impracticable. We also had a party at 
Milstone, as a cover for the ammunition to Princeton. This was a 
dangerous post from its proximity to the enemy, but rendered less 
so by the extreme vigilance which we recommended, and which the 
officer commanding particularly obeyed. Matters were thus sit- 
uated on the morning of the 14th, when we discovered that the 
party at Milstone was attacked. Support was immediately sent to 
cover the retreat of the party, when it was discovered to be the 
enemy's main body, as the same body of observation posted there 
were obliged to retreat '■ jiretty quick.' The enemy took position. 
Our whole army was immediately ordered under arms, ready to be 
put in motion ; but the conduct of the enemy rendered it unnec- 
essary, for instead of immediately pushing for the Delaware, distant 
about twenty-five miles, or attacking General Sullivan, he set down 
on the ground and instantly began to fortify in a very strong posi- 
tion ; but it was not till the next day that we discovered their 
works. Their conduct was perplexing. It was unaccountable that 
people who the day before gave out in very gasconading terms that 
they would be in Philadelphia in six days should stop short when 
they had gone only nine miles. The intelligence was pretty good 
with respect to their designs, yet it was too imperfect with respect 
to their numbers to warrant an attack on ti'oops so well disciplined, 



HOWE'S RETROGRADE MOVEMENTS. 129 

and posted as they were. We also in the course of a day or two 
discovered that they had not moved with any baggage, even tents 
and the most necessary, but had come out with an intention of 
drawing us into the plain ; had left their immense number of wag- 
ons behind them, but even in this kind of ostentatious challenge 
they omitted not one precaution for their own safety. They had 
Brunswick and the Earitau River on their right, secured by eight or 
ten strong redoubts. At Brunswick the Raritan bends, and runs a 
little way north, and then turns nearly west. This they had in their 
front secured by strong redoubts at Middlebrook. Their left was 
secured by the river Milstone, which empties itself into the Raritan 
near Bound Brook : from their right to left was about eight miles. 

"In this situation they continued until early in the morning of the 
19th, continually at work throwing up redoubts. We had a large 
body of riflemen, under Colonel Morgan, perpetually making inroads 
upon them, attacking their pickets, killing their light-horse ; and 
beset them in such a manner, assisted by the militia, that Mr. Howe, 
instead of marching to Philadelphia, found himself almost block- 
aded in an open flat country. Nothing could exceed the spirit 
shown on this occasion by the much injured people of the Jerseys. 
Not an atom of the lethargic spirit that possessed them last winter, 
— all fire, all revenge. The militia of Pennsylvania likewise turned 
out universally, so that had Sir William put his attempt into exe- 
cution, we should probably had twenty-five or thirty thousand 
militia upon his back, besides the most respectable body of conti- 
nental troops that ever were in America. 

" These things being fully represented to General Howe, he 
thought it proper to take himself and light army back to Brunswick 
again, and accordingly marched about one o'clock in the morning 
of the 19th, without beat of drum or sound of fife. When his army 
had gotten beyond the reach of pursuit, they began to burn, plunder, 
and waste all before them. The desolation they committed was 
horrid, and served to show the malice which marks their conduct. 

" The militia, light-horse, and riflemen exhibited the greatest marks 
of valor, frequently taking prisoners within two hundred yards of 
their encampment. Their loss must be at least one hundred killed 
and wounded and taken prisoners, among whom are two lieuten- 
ants of grenadiers of the ooth, and a cornet of light-horse, and a 
number killed, two sergeants taken. This little march of General 

17 



130 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

Howe's fully proves that no people or country can be permanently 
conquered where the inhabitants are unanimous in opposition. 

" What his next manoeuvres may be I can't say, but we suppose 
the North River ; there I believe he will be also disgraced. The 
motive for belief that the North River will be the scene of his 
operations is, that intelligence is received that Mr. Burgoyne is 
about crossing the lakes to Ticonderoga, and General Howe must 
make an attempt to push for a junction. The enemy from all 
appearances and advices are upon the eve of evacuating the Jer- 
seys. Times are much altered for them from last fall. The people 
are unanimous in opposing them : just now four thousand marched 
off to harass the enemy ; as many more will go down towards 
Brunswick this afternoon." 

The subsequent events of the campaign of 1777 in the 
vicinity of Philadelphia are detailed by Knox in the fol- 
lowing letters to his wife and others of his correspondents 
at Boston: — 

TO MRS. KNOX. 

" Bevekhout, 8 miles north of Morristown, 
26th July, 1777. 

" General Howe has sailed from the Hook, we suppose for Phila- 
delphia, therefore we are now marching that way. If he is not 
goiug [there], then Boston must be his object. We intercepted a 
letter from him to General Burgoyne, purporting that the expedition 
up the North River is given up for one to Boston. This letter was 
designed to fall in our hands, in order to deceive. We suppose he 
will be at Philadelphia near as soon as we : we are now four days' 
mai'ch from it. Upon the whole, I know he ought, in justice to 
his master, to go either up the North River or the eastward, and 
endeavor to form a junction with Burgoyne: therefore (if he is not 
a fool) he will operate accordingly ; but we are bound to Philadel- 
phia upon this supposition, and it's very reasonable." 

" Derby, 7 miles below Philadelphia, 
25tli Aug. 1777. 

" The army yesterday marched through the city of Philadelphia. 
Their excellent appearance and marching astonished the Tories, 
who are very downcast on the respectability of the army. I was so 



HOWE LANDS AT THE HEAD OF ELK. 131 

unhappy as to be absent at this time. General Greene and myself 
begged the favor of his Excellency's permission to pay a visit to 
Bethlehem, distant about forty miles, to purchase some things for my 
dear, dear Lucy. The weather was extremely hot, and we set out 
at four o'clock in the afternoon, and arrived next morning at nine. 
An express from the general was waiting for us, with orders to 
return immediately : he had rode all night. However, we first 
visited all parts of this singularly happy place, where all the inhabi- 
tants seem to vie with each other in humility and brotherly kind- 
ness. We joined the army, after a most fatiguing jaunt of a hundred 
miles yesterday, about an hour after they had passed through Phila- 
deljDhia." 

" WiLMiNGTOx, Del., 1 Sept. 1777. 

" The enemy have landed at the head of Elk, in Maryland, about 
twenty miles from this. Whether they intend to advance or not is at 
present uncertain. We shall remain here a kw days ; and if they 
will not come to us, we shall go to them. It is supposed the enemy 
intend for Philadelphia ; if so, they will meet with a stout opposi- 
tion. I am at this moment president of a court-martial to try an 
officer of General Howe for recruiting in the Jerseys." 

" Camp near Schuylkill, 13 Sept. 1777. 

" My dear girl will be happy to hear of her Harry's safety ; for, 
my Lucy, Heaven, who is our guide, has protected him in the day 
of battle. You will hear with this letter of the most severe action 
that has been fought this war between our army and the enemy. 
Our people behaved well, but Heaven frowned on us in a degree. 
We were obliged to retire after very considerable slaughter of the 
enemy : they dared not pursue a single step. If they advance, we 
shall fight them again before they get possession of Philadelphia ; 
but of this they will be cautious. My corps did me great honor : they 
behaved like men contending for every thing that's valuable." * 

* " The regiment of artillery with their general behaved with their usual 
coolness and intrepidity. Some of them could scarce be prevailed on to quit 
their guns, even when surrounded by the enemy and forsaken by our in- 
fantry. The Boston boys did themselves great honor. I rode up to Captain 
Allen in the beginning of the action. Young Cooper was with him at the 
same gun, and a number of our Boston lads : they seemed in high spirits." — 
Extract of a Letter from ar/mtlrman of distinction in Philadelphia, Ltd. Chronicle, 
2 Oct. 1777. 



132 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

We insert here the account of tlie battle of Brandy- 
wine, written by Knox to the President of the Council of 
Massachusetts : — 

" Camp near Schuylkill, 13tli Sept. 1777. 

" Sir, — I do myself the honor to transmit to you an account of 
an action which happened between the American and the British 
troops, the 11th instant, on the heights of Brandy wine. 

" Brandywine is a creek which empties itself into the Delaware, 
near Wilmington, about thirty miles from Philadelphia. On the 9th 
instant our army took post about eleven miles up this creek, having it 
in front at a place called Chad's Ford, that being the most probable 
route by which the enemy would endeavor to pass to Philadelphia. 
The enemy on the 10th advanced to Kenuet Square, within three 
miles of our advanced parties, and at eight o'clock in the morning of 
the 11th a considerable body of their army appeared opposite to us. 
Immediately a heavy cannonade commenced, and lasted with spirit 
for above two hours, and more or less the whole day. Our advauced 
light corps, under General Maxwell, engaged the advanced parties 
of the enemy on the other side of the creek with success, having 
twice repulsed them, and entirely dispersed a body of 300 Hessians. 
This light corps was engaged with their advanced parties almost 
throngh the day. At the same time this body advanced opposite to 
our army, another large column, consisting of the British and Hes- 
sian grenadiers, light infantry, and some brigades, took a circuitous 
route of six miles to our right, and crossed the creeks at the forks 
of Brandywine. His Excellency General Washington, notwith- 
standing his utmost exertions to obtain intelligence, had very con- 
tradictory accounts of the numbers and destination of this column 
until it had crossed the creek six miles to our right. He imme- 
diately ordered General Sullivan's, Lord Stirling's, and General 
Stephen's divisions to advance and attack them. This was about 
three o'clock p.m. These divisions, having advanced about three 
miles fell in with the enemy, who were also advancing. Both sides 
pushed for a hill situated in the middle. 

"The contest became exceedingly severe, and lasted without 
intermission for an hour and a half, when our troops began to give 
way, having many of them expended all their cartridges. 

" His Excellency, who in the beginning of this action galloped to 



BATTLE OF BRANDTWINE. 133 

the right, ordered Greene's division and Nash's brigade from the 
left ; but, the distance being so great, the other divisions had retreated 
before they ai'rived. However, they formed, and were of the utmost 
service in covei'ing the retreat of the other divisions, particularly 
Weedon's brigade of Greene's division, which behaved to admiration 
in an excessive hot fire, checked the British grenadiers, and finally, 
after dark, came off" in great order.* 

" While this scene was acting on the right, the enemy opened a 
battery on the left of seven pieces of cannon opposite to one of ours 
of the same number. General Wayne, with a division of the Penn- 
sylvania troops, having Maxwell's light corps on his left, and 
Nash's brigade (which was afterward drawn off to support the right 
wing) on his right, formed the left wing. The enemy's batteries 
and ours kept up an incessant cannonade, and formed such a column 
of smoke that the British troops passed the creek unperceived on 
the right of the battery, on the ground which was left unoccupied 
by the withdrawal of Nash's brigade. 

" A very severe action immediately commenced between General 
Wayne and the enemy, who had now got possession of a height 
opposite to him. They made several efforts to pass the low grounds 
between them, and were as frequently repulsed. Night coming on, 
his Excellency the General gave orders for a retreat, which was 
regularly effected without the least attempt of the enemy to pursue. 
Our troops that night retired to Chester, and will now take 2)0st in 
such a manner as best to cover Philadelphia. 

" It is difficult at present to ascertain our loss ; but, from the most 
particular inquiry I have been able to make, it will not exceed seven 
hundred or eight hundred killed, wounded, and missing, and ten 
field-pieces. 

* In a letter to Rev. Dr. Gordon, then about leaving for England, Avhere 
his History of the American Revolution was to be published, Knox, iinder 
date of New York, 11th March, 178G, gives the composition of Weedon's 
brigade, which behaved with conspicuous gallantry' at Brandywine. In it 
were Colonel Walter Stewart's Penns^^lvania regiment, and the Virginia 
regiments of Colonel Spotswood (3d), Lieutenant-Colonel Hendricks (<3th), 
Colonel Ed. Stevens (10th), and (14th) Colonel Lewis, who was afterward 
wounded at Guilford, where he commanded a brigade of niihtia. Knox fur- 
nished the Doctor with other materials for his work, and closes his letter 
thus : " I observe," he says, " the printers are exceedingly angry with you 
at Boston for the intention of printing it [Gordon's History] in Great Britain, 
and some of the squibs are republished here." 



134 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

'• It is a common practice in war to diminish our own loss and 
magnify that of our enemy ; but, from my own observation and the 
opinion of others, their loss must be much greater than ours." 

TO MRS. KNOX. 

PoTTSGROVE, 24 Scpt. 1777. 

" I wrote you on the 13th. The same day we crossed the Schuyl- 
kill, in order to try the issue of another appeal to Him xoho directs 
all human events. After some days' manoeuvring, we came in sight 
of the enemy, and drew up in order of battle, which the enemy 
declined ; but a most violent rain coming on obliged us to change 
our position, in the course of which nearly all the musket cartridges 
of the army tliat had been delivered to the men were damaged, con- 
sisting of above 400,000. This was a most terrible stroke to us, 
and owing entirely to the badness of the cartouch-boxes which had 
been provided for the army. 

" This unfortunate event obliged us to retire, in order to get 
supplied with so essential an article as cartridges, after which we 
forded the Schuylkill, in order to be opposite to the enemy ; accord- 
ingly we took post at a place called Flatland Ford. 

'' A defensive war is the most ditficult to guard against, because 
one is always obliged to attend to the feints of the enemy. To 
defend an extensive river when it is unfordable is almost impossible ; 
but when fordable in every part, it becomes impracticable. On the 
afternoon of the 21st the enemy made a mosf rapid march of ten or 
twelve miles to our right: this obliged us to follow them. They 
kindled large fires, and in the next night marched as rapidly back 
and crossed at a place where we had few guards, and pushed towai'ds 
Philadelphia, and will this morning enter the city without opposition. 
We fought one battle for it, and it was no deliciency in bravery that 
lost us the day. Philadelphia, it seems, has been their favorite 
object. Their shipping has not joined them there. They will first 
have to raise the clievaux de frise in the Delaware, and defeat the 
naval force there, which is considerable. 

" The troops in this excursion of ten days without baggage suffered 
excessive hardships, — without tents in the rain, several marches of 
all night, and often without suiiicient provision. This they endured 
with the perseverance and patience of good soldiers. Generals 
Smallwood, Wayne, McDougall, and a considerable body of militia. 



ANOTHER BATTLE EXPECTED. 135 

will join us to-day and to-morrow. This day we shall move towards 
Philadelphia, in order to try the fortune of another battle, in which 
we devoutly hope the blessing of Heaven. I consider the loss of 
Philadelphia as only temporary, — to be recovered when expedient. 
It is no more than the loss of Boston, nor, in my opinion, half so 
much, when the present trade of the latter be considered. It is 
situated on a point of land formed by the rivers Delaware and 
Schuylkill, so that it would [have] been highly improper to have 
thrown ourselves into it. 

" If the enemy do not get their shipping up soon, and go into 
Philadelphia, they will be in a very ineligible situation. I do not 
in the present circumstances consider Philadelphia of so much con- 
sequence as the loss of reputation to our arms ; but I trust in God 
we shall soon make up that matter. Billy* is well, and undergoes 
the hardshi^js of the campaign surprisingly well, and they are neither 
few nor small." 

TO COLONEL HENRY JACKSON.f 

" Camp at Metuchin, 20 miles from Philadelphia, 
3d Oct. 77. 
"My dear Harry, — The enemy are now encamped at Phila- 
delphia and its environs for about six miles. The Delaware frigate 
was given up to them in a manner scandalous to relate. The crew, 
it's said, after they had fired one broadside at a battery which was 
erecting near the city, ran her ashore, and gave her up to the 
Britons. The crew were principally foreigners. Our army has had 
several reinforcements of militia, &c., since the late action. I hope 
for better success in the next ; and an action we shall most assuredly 
have before they or we go into winter quarters." 

* His brother William had joined him in July, as his secretary, and 
behaved with spirit a few days later at Gerniantown. 

t Jackson liad been appointed colonel of one of tlie additional continental 
battalions to be raised in Massachusetts, and numbered the 16th. He was 
born in Boston in 1748, and died tliere 4 Jan. 1809; commissioned colonel 
12 Jan. 1777 ; distinguished at Monmouth, in Sullivan's Khode Island cam- 
paign, and at Springtield, N.J. ; and commanded tiie last body of continental 
soldiers disbanded in 1784 ; major-general first division Massachusetts niilitin, 
1792-96 ; and, as United States agent, superintended the construction of the 
frigate " Constitution." Jackson was the intimate friend and correspondent of 
Knox, for whom he acted as a business agent in many important transactions. 
Many of his letters, which are exceedingly interesting, are preserved in the 
Knox Papers. 



136 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

Washington having been reinforced by troops from 
Peekskill on the Hudson, and knowing that Howe had 
weakened his army by detachments for the reduction of 
the posts on the Delaware, resolved to attack his main 
division at Germantown. 

The following account of the battle of Germantown was 
written by Knox to Hon. Artemas Ward, President of the 
Council of Massachusetts Bay. 

" Artillery Park, Perkeomy Creek, Oct. 7, 1777 
(27 miles from Philadelphia). 

" Sir, — I shall endeavor to give you a short authentic account 
of an attack made by our army ou the British army, lying at Ger- 
mantown, six miles from Philadelphia, on the morning of the 4th 
instant. 

"At six o'clock on the evening of the 3d, the army, under his 
Excellency General Washington, began their march in four columns 
on as many roads towards the enemy ; the nearest column had to 
march fourteen, and some twenty, miles. By marching all night, 
the columns arrived a little after break of day [opposite] to the 
respective posts of the enemy assigned to them. The attack com- 
menced by forcing their pickets, which were soon reinforced in front 
by all the light infantry of tlie line and other troops. After a smart 
action, these were obliged to give way, our troops pressing on with 
great spirit and good order. 

" The different attacks being made at the same time distracted 
the enemy's attention so much, that after about an hour's engage- 
ment they began to give way on every part ; but, most unfortunately 
for us, a fog which had arisen about daybreak became so exces- 
sively thick from the continued firing that it was impossible to 
discover an object at twenty yards' distance. 

" This was the unhappy cause of our losing the victory after 
being in possession of it for near two hours, and having driven the 
enemy above two miles from the place where the engagement begun, 
quite through their encampment. In this unusual fog it was im- 
possible to know how to support, or what part to push. At this 
instant, the enemy again rallied and obliged part of our troops to 
retire ; and after a smart resistance, the retreat of the line became 



BATTLE OF GERMANTOWN. 137 

general. The enemy followed with caution, and we came off with- 
out the loss of a single piece of cannon or any thing else, except 
one empty ammunition wagon, the engagement from beginning to 
end being about two hours and forty minutes. 

" Our loss in killed, wounded, and missing, is not fully ascertained, 
but will not exceed five hundred or six hundred. We had a very 
considerable number of officers of merit killed and wounded. 
Brigadier-General Nash, of North Carolina, mortally wounded by a 
cannon-ball taking off his thigh. 

" The enemy's loss, we hear from pretty good authority, is very 
considerable. General Agnew killed. Sir William Erskine 
wounded. This is the first attack made during this war by the 
American troops on the main body of the enemy ; and had it not 
been [for] the unlucky circumstance of the fog, Pliiladelphia 
would probably have been in our hands. It is matter worthy of 
observation that in most other countries which have been invaded 
one or two battles have decided their fate ; but America rises after 
a defeat ! 

" We were more numerous after the battle of Brandywine than 
before, and we have demonstration of being more numerous now 
than before the 4th. Our men are in the highest sj^irits, and ardently 
desire another trial. I know of no ill consequences that can follow 
the late action ; on the contrary, we have gained considerable expe- 
rience, and our army have a certain proof that the British troops 
are vulnerable." 

In a letter to Mrs. Knox he says : "To tliis cause [the 
fog], in conjunction with the enemy's taldng possession of 
some stone buildings in Germantown, is to be ascribed the 
loss of the victory. We brought off the greater part of 
our wounded." 

TO MRS. KNOX. 

" Camp, 24 miles from Philadelphia, 13th Oct. 1777. 
..." I send you this by Captain Randall, who has the misfor- 
tune to be again made a prisoner, after being slightly wounded in 
seven or eight places. 

" The matter you mention about i-ations cannot be complied with, 

18 



138 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

and I thank God I have too much reliance on his divine providence . 
to have any of those misgivings and foi'ebodings of which my dear 
Lucy seems so apprehensive. I trust the same Divine Being who 
brought us together will support us. The enemy have not yet re- 
duced our obstacles in the river Delaware below Philadelphia, and 
consequently have not got their shipping up to the town. They have 
made several efforts, but hitherto in vain, in one of which we took 
two officers and fifty-six privates prisoners. If the enemy cannot 
get their shipping up, Philadelphia is one of the most ineligible 
places in the world for an army surrounded by rivers which are 
impassable, and an army above them. We have been pi'etty quiet 
since the action of the 4th ; but we have yet tolerable prospects 
and hopes to winter in Philadelphia. I mean our army ; for how- 
ever clouded the prospect may be, yet I have sanguine hopes of 
being able to live this winter in sweet fellowship with the dearest 
friend of ray heart. Ere you receive this, you will receive the 
account of the loss of Fort Montgomery, which I own to you is in 
my opinion exceedingly heavy, but it must stimulate us to make 
greater exertions. America almost deserves to be made slaves for 
her non-exertions in so important an affair. . . . Observe, my dear 
girl, how Providence supports us. The advantages gained by our 
Northern army give almost a decisive turn to the contest. For my 
own part I have not yet seen so bright a dawn as the prospect, and 
I am as perfectly convinced in my own mind of the kindness of 
Providence towards us as I am of my own existence." 

TO THE SAME. 

"Camp, 10 miles from Philadelphia, Nov. 3, 1777. 
. • . . " The enemy have not yet been able to drive our galleys 
away, or storm or batter our forts with success. We have lately 
had a storm, which has ruined their batteries and works erected 
agahist Fort Mitilin. Since they had two men-of-war burnt on the 
23d in the river, and were defeated the 22d at Red Bank, they 
have appeared quite silent in deeds, but not so in words. They have 
been very angry for our feiix de joie, which we have fired on the 
several victories over Burgoyne, and say that by and by [we] shall 
bring ourselves into contempt with our own army for propagating 
such known falsehoods. Poor fellows ! nothing but Britain must 
triumph." 



OPPOSES AN ATTACK ON PHILADELPHIA. 139 

On the 15th of November, after the fall of Fort Mifflhi, 
Knox, with De Kalb and St. Clair, was sent to provide for 
the security of Red Bank. This post, known as Fort 
Mercer, fell, however, after a brave defence on the 18th. 

In the council of war on Oct. 26, and again on Dec. 
3d, Knox opposed the project of an attack on the enemy's 
lines at Philadelphia, giving on the day last named these 
reasons : " Our entire want of clothing ; the impossibility 
and impracticability of surprising 10,000 veteran troops 
in a well fortified city ; the impossibility of our keeping 
the field to besiege their works and city regularly, being 
almost totally deficient in warlike aj^paratus for so arduous 
an enterprise ; and the uncertainty of obtaining a suffi- 
cient number of militia to warrant the enterprise." He 
proposed that the army go into winter quarters, with the 
right at Lancaster and the left at Reading, provided a 
sufficiency of houses and good cover could be had there ; 
if not, that it should be hutted about thirty miles from 
Philadelphia, near the Schuylkill. The army wintered at 
Valley Forge, somewhat nearer the city ; and Knox took 
advantage of the cessation of active operations to visit his 
wife at Boston. A picture of the privations of the army 
during this memorable winter is given in the following 
letter from Greene to Knox : — 

" Camp, Vallky Fokge, 26th Feb. 1778. 

" The army has been iu great distress since you left it. The 
troops are getting naked ; they were seven days without meat, and 
several days without bread. Such patience and moderation as 
thej' manifested under their sufl^erings does the highest honor to 
the magnanimity of the American soldiers. The seventh day they 
came before their superior officers, and told their sufferings in as 
respectful terms as if they had been humble petitioners for special 
fiivors. They added that it would be impossible to continue in 
camp any longer without support. Happily relief arrived from the 



140 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

little collections I and some others had made, and prevented the 
army from disbanding. We are still iu danger of starving. Hun- 
dreds of our horses have already starved to death. The committee 
of Congress have seen all these things with their own eyes. They 
have been urging me for several days to accept the quartermaster- 
general's appointment, his Excellency also presses it upon me 
exceedingly. I hate the j^lace, but hardly know what to do. 1 wish 
for your advice in the atfair, but am obliged to determine imme- 
diately." 

Mrs. Knox arrived in camp at Valley Forge on May 20, 
1778, soon after the news of the alliance with France had 
heen received. She was attended from New Haven by 
General Arnold, who was of great service to her dur- 
ing her journey, and remained with the army until it 
was disbanded. 

At the battle of INIonmouth, which occurred on June 
28th, and of which he ever after spoke with much pride, 
Knox reconnoitred in front, rallying the retreat, and bring- 
ing up the rear with a brisk fire from a battery planted in 
the night, directed by his brigade adjutant, the chevalier 
Mauduit Duplessis. Of the services of this arm, Wash- 
ington, in general orders, says he "'can with pleasure 
inform General Knox and the ojfficers of the artillery that 
the enemy has done them the justice to acknowledge that 
no artillery could have been better served than ours." 

To his brother and to his wife, Knox wrote the partic- 
ulars of this battle, and of the events which preceded 
it: — 

TO HIS BROTHER WILLIAM. 

HorEWELL Township, New Jersey, 

4 o'clock A.M., 25th June, 1778. 

"The enemy evacuated Philadelphia on the 19th. Lucy and I 
went in, but it stunk so abominably that it was impossible to stay 
there, as was her first design. The enemy are now at Alien Town, 
about ten miles southeast of Princeton, and we are at about six 



HOWE EVACUATES PHILADELPHIA. 141 

miles north [of] Princetou, so that the two armies are now 
about nineteen or twenty miles apart. AVe are now on the march 
towards them, and their movements this day will determine whether 
we shall come in close contact witffeach other. We have now very 
numerous parties harassing and teasing them on all quarters. 
Desertion prevails exceedingly in their army, especially among tlie 
Germans. Above three hundred German and English have de- 
serted since they left Philadelphia. Had we a sufficiency of num- 
bers, we should be able to force them to a similar treaty with 
Burgoyne ; but, at present, have not quite such sanguine hopes. 
If general actions had no other consequences than merely the killed 
and wounded, we should attack them in twenty-four hours. But 
the fate of posterity, and not the illusive brilliancy of military glory, 
governs our Fabian commander, the man [to whom], under God, 
America owes her present prospects of peace and happiness." 

TO MRS. KNOX. 

"June 29, near Monmouth Court House. 

"My dearest Love, — I wrote you some few days ago that a 
day or two would determine whether we should have an engage- 
ment with the Britons. Yesterday, at about nine o'clock a.m., our 
advanced parties under General Lee attacked their rear while on 
the march towards Shrewsbury, upon which their whole army, 
except the Hessians, came to the right about ; and, after some fight- 
ing, obliged him to retire to the main army, which was about two 
miles distant. The enemy advanced with great spirit to the attack, 
and began a very brisk cannonade on us, who were formed to 
receive them. 

" The cannonade lasted from about eleven until six o'clock, at 
which time the enemy began to retire on all quarters, and left us 
in possession of the field. We have had several field officers killed, 
and a considerable number of others. Colonel Ramsay, Mrs. Ram- 
say's husband, was taken prisoner, and this morning released on 
his parole. I have had several officers killed and wounded. My 
brave lads behaved with their usual intrepidity, and the army gave 
the corps of artillery their full proportion of the glory of the day. 

" Lideed, upon the whole, it is very splendid. The capital army 
of Britain defeated and obliged to retreat before the Americans, 



142 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

whom they despised so much! I cannot ascertain either our or the 
enemy's loss, but I really think they have lost three times the 
number we have. I judge from the field of battle, whicli, to be sure, 
is a field of carnage and blood : tiiree to one of the British forces 
lie there. The Britons confess they have never received so severe 
a check. The enemy took a strong post, about a mile from the 
place of action, to dislodge them from which, as it was dark, would 
cost too many men, and by which they covered the retreat of their 
arm3^ After having been fighting all day, and one of the hottest 
I ever felt, they decamped in the night and marched off with the 
utmost precipitation, leaving a great number of their wounded, 
both officers and men, in our hands. We have sent out large bodies 
in pursuit, but I believe they will not be able to come up with the 
main body. • . . The number of deserters, since they left Phila- 
delphia, must exceed eight hundred. The march has proved to 
them a most destructive one, and is very ill-calculated to give Sir 
H. Clinton any eclat. He may storm Fort Montgomery, but is 
very ill-calculated, in my opinion, to be at the head of a large 
army. 

"My friend, Harry [Jackson], crossed over from Philadelphia, 
and was in the unfortunate \_i.e., early] part of the day. I saw him 
once on the field, for a moment: he appeared much fatigued. His 
regiment had a few killed and wounded, and is reported to have 
behaved well." 

TO HIS BROTHER TVILLIAM. 

" Camp Brunswick, 3d July, 1778. 

..." The enemy inclined more to their right than we expected, 
and took the road to Sandy Hook, instead of the supposed one to 
South Amboy. 

" A body of Jersey militia, amounting to near 2,000, had en- 
deavored to retard them, by taking up the bridges, felling trees, and 
harassing their flanks and rear. Beside these, his Excellency 
General Washington had detached several large bodies for the same 
purpose, all of which, except Colonel Morgan, were, on the 28th ult., 
united under General Lee, who early on that morning advanced to 
Monmouth Court House with the intention of attacking the cover- 
ing party by left fiank, the main army moving on at the same time 
to support him, although it was some miles in the rear. The parties 



BATTLE OF MONMOUTH. 143 

under General Lee, instead of finding a covering party as was 
expected, found their whole army or the greater part of it. After 
some manoeuvring, cannonading, and some other circumstances, 
which are not yet sufficiently explained, it was thought proper by 
General Lee to retire until it met the main army, which it effected 
without much loss. The army was drawn up on advantageous 
ground to receive the enemy, who advanced to the attack with 
considerable impetuosity, and began a brisk cannonade, which was 
returned with becoming spirit. The action of the musketry was 
various, and with intermissions until about six o'clock, when we 
pushed the enemy off the field. . . . Their whole loss may amount 
to about ten or twelve hundred killed, wounded, and prisoners. His 
Excellency, the General, has done the corps of artillery and me the 
honor to notice us in general orders in very pointed and flattering 
terms. Indeed, I was highly delighted with their coolness, bravery, 
and good conduct. The effects of the Battle of MonmoiUh will be 
great and lasting. It will convince the enemy and the world that 
nothing but a good constitution is wanting to render our army equal 
to any in the world." 

From letters to his brother at various times we extract 
as follows : — 

" Camp, White Plaiks, 14th Sept. 1778. 
..." AVe wish to know where Lord Howe is, as it might be 
some clew to the designs of the enemy ; though as to dangerous de- 
signs, they have none, I am persuaded, nor never had, except to 
themselves. It is improper for a person in my station to speak 
thus, were it to be divulged ; but I do not believe there ever was 
a set of men so perfectly disqualified, by a total and profound 
ignorance of every thing that ought to constitute the characters of 
leaders of an army to conquest. I beg you not to imagine that by 
depreciation of their abilities I mean to exalt our own. God forbid ! 
I shall say nothing about it but only this, that we never set our- 
selves up as great military men. I believe they [the enemy] are 
about to quit the continent, and perhaps only wait for their last 
orders to effect it." 



144 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 



" PuiLADELPiiiA, 3 Feb. 1779. 

..." We are in great want of lead. The Board of War have 
desired me to write to Boston to inquire what quantity can be 
gotten there and at the neighboring towns, and at what price. I 
wish you to make the inquiry, or rather to get some person to make 
it for you, as the gentlemen speculators may suspect from your con- 
nection that you want it for the public, and advance their prices in 
proportion. Write me the result speedily as possible, so that I may 
communicate it to the board. ... I am glad you have gotten into 
the old store. I thank you for the little pamphlet. The girls are 
the same everywhere, — at least some of them: they love a red 
coat dearly. Arnold is going to be married to a beautiful and 
accomplished young lady, — a Miss Shippen, of one of the best 
families in this place." 

" Feb. 13. 
..." You will see in the papers some highly colored charges 
against General Arnold, by the State of Pennsylvania. I shall 
be exceedingly mistaken if one of them can be proven. He lias 
returned to Philadelphia, and will, I hope, be able to vindicate 
himself from the aspersions of his enemies." 

" Pluckemin, 28 Feb. 1779. 
..." You wish to know my business to Philadelphia. It was 
merely to get the ordnance department better regulated. Besides 
the satisfaction of having the business of the jiublic done better, 
the only advantage that will result lo me will be some pay expressly 
for the management of the ordnance department in the field. I 
undoubtedly might have at first stipulated for some pecuniary ad- 
vantages for myself; but I know not how it is, I do not approve of 
money obtained in the public service : it does not appear to me, in 
a war like ours, to be right, and I cannot bring myself to think 
differently, altliougli poverty may be the consequence. We had at 
the Park [of artillery], on the 18th, a most genteel entertainment 
given by self and officers. Everybody allowed it to be the first of 
the kind ever exhibited in this State at least. We had about 
seventy ladies, all of the first ton in the State, and between three 
and four hundred gentlemen. We danced all night, — an elegant 



PRIVATEERING SPECULATIONS. 145 

room. The illuminating, fireworks, &c., were more than pretty. It 
was to celebrate the alliance between France and America." 

" March 13. 
"I am sorry for the loss of the vessel you mention, but not dis- 
couraged. I hope the little vessel will at least make up for her. 
I wrote to you to try something, by way of adventure, in the 
' General Arnold.' She is a good vessel and commander. ... I 
am exceedingly anxious to effect something in these fluctuating 
times, which may make us lazy for life. You know my sentiments 
with respect to making any thing out of the public. I abominate 
the idea. I could not, at the end of the war, mix with my fellow- 
citizens with that conscious integrity, the felicity of which I often 
anticipate." 

Knox seems to have been unfortunate in his privateer- 
ing specuhxtions, vessel after vessel in which he had a 
share being captured by the eneni}^, some of them with 
valuable cargoes and just as they were entering port. 

" Pluckemin, N.J., 7 May, 1779. 
" If we are to believe Rivington's paper of May 1, we are to have 
bloody work this summer. They swear by monstrous big oaths they 
will exterminate us this campaign. However that may be, we at 
present have but little apprehensions of it, although, from a variety 
of corroborating circumstances, we expect we shall have a much 
more active campaign than the last." 

In a later letter he says : — 

" The whole army have moved up to this place [Middlebrook] 
to cover the almost infinitely important posts in the highlands, 
which we do in so effectual a manner that, were the enemy much 
stronger than they are, I should be in no pain for the safety of the 
posts. The enemy have established themselves so securely at 
King's Ferry that we shall not be able to dislodge them at present. 
Perhaps a future and more important operation may involve the 
posts at King's Ferry in its fall. The enemy expect reinforce- 
ments, and we, with the blessing of Heaven, expect to baffle their 
utmost efforts. We expect every thing from the discipline and good- 
ness of our troops ; but probably we shall want some assistance from 
our brethren." 

19 



146 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

Of the warmth of Knox's affection for his friend Gen- 
eral Lincoln, his letters give ample evidence. Here is an 
extract from one written just after the capture of Charles- 
ton by Sir Henry Clinton, where Lincoln and his army 
became prisoners. 

" The great defence made by you and your garrison in field for- 
tifications will confer on you and them the esteem and admiration 
of every sensible military man. I hope and believe that Congress 
•will most unequivocally bestow that applause which you have so 
richly merited. No event, except the capture of Sir H. Clinton 
and his army, would give me more pleasure than to see you. He 
is now in force at Springfield, below Morristown." 

And at a later period he writes : — 

" The first moment I had the happiness of being acquainted with 
you I conceived a high degree of friendship, which uniformly has 
increased as I became more intimate, until the present period. I 
consider the confidential manner in which we have indulged as one 
of the happy circumstances of my life, and in all events of grief or 
joy there i^ no man from whose friendship I should more readily 
expect the most cordial balsam, or whose bosom would more cheer- 
fully expand in a participation of my hajipiness." 

The French army under the Count de Rochambeau, des- 
tined to co-operate with the Americans, arrived at Newport 
in July, 1780 ; and on Sept. 21st, Knox, with Washington 
and La Fayette, visited the French general and admiral, de 
Ternay, at Hartford, to concert the details of a plan of 
operations. While returning from this meeting, they 
heard of Arnold's treason, and immediately hastened to 
West Point. 

Knox was one of the board of general officers which 
tried and condemned Major Andre to death as a spy, a 
sentence which the usages of war compelled them to pro- 
nounce, but which was especially distasteful to him since 



CHASTELLUX VISITS THE CAMP. 147 

that chance meeting on Lake George, narrated on a pre- 
vious page, when they had made each other's acquaintance 
under such peculiar circumstances. 

In the Latter part of November, the Chevalier de Chas- 
tellux, a major-general in Rochambeau's army and a mem- 
ber of the French Academy, visited the American camp 
at New Windsor. From his Travels, published a few years 
later, we extract the following interesting particulars of 
this visit. 

In the morning while at breakfast, horses were brought 
and orders given for the men to get under arms, and the 
chevalier and Washington repaired to the camp, where 
they were received by General Knox at the head of his 
artillery. This was exhibited in fine order, formed in the 
foreign manner, each gunner at his post ready to fire. 
Knox politely apologized for not firing a salute, on account 
of the troops on the other side of the river, which had 
been put in motion by a previous order, and whom he was 
afraid of giving some alarm. 

Returning from a subsequent tour to visit the general 
officers of the line at their respective quarters with La 
Fayette, they met with Knox, who brought them back to 
head-quarters by the nearest way through a wood, where 
they fell into a road leading to his retired residence. This 
was a little rural spot where Mrs. Knox had passed part 
of the campaign ; and here the chevalier found what he 
called a real "family," formed besides the general and his 
wife of a httle girl of three years and an infant of six 
months. 

The wretched situation of the army at this time, 
which culminated in the mutiny of the lines of Pennsyl- 
vania and New Jersey, is graphically described in this 
extract from Knox's letter to his brother, dated Dec. 2, 
1780: — 



148 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

" We depend upon the great Author of Nature to provide sub- 
sistence and clothing for us through a long and severe winter; for 
the people, whose business, according to tlie common course of 
things, it was to provide the materials necessary, have either been 
unable or neglected to do it. The soldier, ragged almost to naked- 
ness, has to sit down at this period, and with an axe — perhaps his 
only tool, and probably that a bad one — to make his habitation for 
winter. However, this, and [being] punished with hunger into the 
bargain, the soldiers and officers have borne with a fortitude almost 
superhuman. The country must be grateful to these brave fellows. 
It is impossible to admit of the idea of an alternative." 

In January, 1781, he was sent by Washington to the 
Eastern States to represent the suffering condition of the 
troops with a view to their relief, and on the 14th ar- 
rived at Boston with the news of the mutiny of the Penn- 
sylvania hne. 

An active campaign was now pLanned which, with the 
aid of our allies, it was hoped would be decisive. Wash- 
ington, on Feb. 16, wrote to Knox, instructing him to 
procure the articles necessar}' to a " capital operation 
against New York, or against Charleston, Savannah, Pen- 
obscot, &c., in case of inability to undertake the siege of the 
first and principal object." Knox in reply promised his 
utmost efforts to obtain the requisite supplies, but details 
the great want of proper material for such an operation, 
and complains of the Board of War for neglecting his 
repeated requisitions. "Powder," he says, "is an article 
of which we are so deficient that, when a reasonable quan- 
tity shall be appropriated for the use of the important 
posts in the highlands (which ought and wiU be furnished 
under all circumstances), there will literally none remain." 

The following letters and extracts of letters throw 
light upon the occurrences of this eventful campaign. 



CONFERENCE WITH KOCHAMBEAU. 149 



TO WILLIAM KNOX. 

" Wethersfield, 20 May, 1781. 
"I am here, my clear brother, having arrived last evening with 
his Elxcellency the General and General Duportail to meet Count 
Rocharabeau and Admiral Barras, upon some matters of great con- 
sequence. We came here last night. The French gentlemen will 
be here to-morrow, and we shall probably depart in two days after." 

And on the 25tli he writes him : — 

" We have not finished our business until this morning. Count 
Rochambeau left us yesterday, and we shall set out in about one 
hour, and shall expect to reach New Windsor to-morrow evening." 

At this important meeting the plan of the subsequent 
campaign was discussed, and as far as possible decided on, 
the primary object being New York. 

WASHINGTON TO KNOX. 

" Head-quarters, New Windsor, May 28, 1781. 

" As you are perfectly acquainted with the measures which have 
been concerted with the Count de Rochambeau, I have only to 
request that you will be pleased to make all the necessary estimates 
of articles wanted in your department, and also put the whole busi- 
ness for the operation (so far as is within your reach) in the best 
train of execution which our embarrassed circumstances vvill^ossibly 
admit. Under the present appearances of an evacuation of New 
York, I think it will be [proper] to draw the stores from the east- 
ward rather than from the southward." 

TO WILLIAM KNOX. 

" Camp at Puillipsburg, 10 miles from King's Bridge, 
20 July, 1781. 

" Lucy, with her sweet children, has gone up the river with Mrs. 
Cochran, on a visit to some fixmilies. I suppose she will proceed as 
far as Albany ; after which, I think, she will sit down in Jersey for 
the remainder of the campaign. Although we are not bad in ac- 



150 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

commodating ourselves to our circumstances, yet I sensibly feel the 
inconveniences we labor under, to accumulate in proportion to the 
increase of our family. I sincerely pray God that the war may be 
ended this campaign, that public and private society may be re- 
stored. . . . 

The vile water-gruel governments which have taken place in 
most of the States are totally disproportioned to the exigencies of 
the war, and are productive of sentiments unworthy an energetic 
republic. However, I hope we shall wade through. 

'' I cannot, in justice, omit paying some compliments to our State. 
The policy appears to be enlarged and liberal ; and the exertions 
greatly surpass, at this present time, any State in the union. The 
same tone, sentiments, and exertion pervading all the States, would 
indisputably render this the last campaign. 

" Tiie enemy lately sent some ships up the river with an intent 
to interrupt our communication by water with West Point, but 
they yesterday retired without effecting any thing of consequence." 

TO MRS. KNOX. 
" Camp, near Dobbs Feret, 3 Aug. 1781. 

..." Yesterday was your birthday. I cannot attempt to show 
you how much I was affected by it. I remembered it, and humbly 
petitioned Heaven to grant us the happiness of continuing our union 
until we should have the felicity of seeing our children flourishing 
around us, and ourselves crowned with virtue, peace, and years, and 
that we both might take our flight together, secure of a happy im- 
mortality. 

..." All is harmony and good fellowship between the two armies. 
I have no doubt, when opportunity offers, that the zeal of the French 
and the patriotism of the Americans will go hand in hand to glory. 
I cannot explain to you the exact plan of the campaign : we don't 
know it ourselves. You know what we wish, but we hope more at 
present than we believe." 

FROM WILLIAM KNOX. 

"Boston, 22 Aug. 1781. 
" I suppose, from necessity, you are obliged to speak much French, 
which, you having long since learnt the theoretic part, I should 
imagine, from a little practice, would come easy to you. 



GREENE'S LETTER. 151 

" If I recollect, the Compte Rochambeau doesn't speak a word of 
English, nor do the two brothers Viomenil, Marquis Laval, or 
Compte St. Maime. The two counts Deux Fonts, on the other 
hand, speak [it] pretty well ; and the most amiable General 
Chastellux, a merveille. If you have opportunity, I am sure you 
must be very intimate [with] General C, if the two characters of 
the man of letters and polite gentleman are recommendations. I 
know nobody who can be more strongly recommended. I have 
reason to speak of the civility of all the gentlemen I have named, 
and of many which I have not, and who belong to that army, but 
more particularly of those shown me by the Chevalier Chastelhix, 
at whose petits soiipers I was invited two evenings out of three 
when at Newport. I mention this as being a particular mark of 
his attention, for the being invited to dine is a common compliment 
from him to recommended strangers ; but the evening circle is 
always selected." 

FROM GENERAL GREENE. 

" Head-qdakters, High Hills, Santee, Aug. 17, 1781. 

" My dear Friend, — If accounts are true, that New York is 
seriously invested, you must be the hero of the day. Methinks I 
hear the cannon roar while I am writing. The shells and the shot 
fired from the besiegers and besieged must make a terrible rattling. 
The splendor of such a siege will sink our puny operations into 
nothing. But, after you have done at New York, it is to be hoped 
you will come to the southward and unfetter the poor unfortunate 
inhabitants of Charlestown. I should be happy to see my old 
friend, McDougall, in the field of speculation. How goes on his 
chapter of difficulties ? The siege of New York, I imagine, will 
afford him a large collection of materials. Where is Howe, with 
his nose ? has he left off his port, or forgiven the boy that insulted 
it so grossly at Morristown ? The story is told even in this country ; 
and I declare, upon my honor, I did not bring it here. 

" Where is the noble Earl [Stirling] ? I hope he's had an oppor- 
tunity to review the ground on Long Island : and, I presume, every 
officer of note in the French army has heard in detail the partic- 
ulars. We have had a report here that General Howe and he had 
had a duel, but I did not believe it. Honest fellows, what have they 
to quarrel about ? 



152 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

" I am sending aide-de-camp after aide-de-camp to get news from 
the northward. I am not a little apprehensive the people on the 
road will think the Southern army is broken up. 

" I beg you will present Mrs. Knox with my most affectionate 
regards ; and I hope you will not get in the way of a four-and- 
twenty pounder, but will return to her with whole bones. My com- 
pliments to honest Shaw." 

And again : — 

" Sept. 29, 1781. 

"My dear Friend, — Where you are I know not, but if you 
are where I wish you, it is with the General in Virginia ; the pros- 
pect is so bright and the glory so great, that I want you to be 
there to share in them. I was in hopes you would have operated 
seriously against New York, which would have been still more 
important ; but as your operations are directed another way, I take 
it for granted means were wanting to play the great game. 

" We have been beating the bush, and the General has come to 
catch the bird. Never was there a more inviting object to glory. 
The General is a most fortunate man, and may success and laurels 
attend him. We have fought frequently and bled fi-eely, and little 
glory conies to our share. Our force has been so small that nothing 
capital could be effected, and our operations have been conducted 
under every disadvantage that could embarrass either a general or 
an army. 

" I long to see you, and spend an evening's conversation together. 
Where is Mrs. Knox ? and how is Lucy and my young god-son, Sir 
Harry ? I beg you will present my kind compliments and best 
wishes to Mrs. Knox. 

" How is my old friend, Colonel Jackson ? — is he as fat as ever, 
and can he still eat down a plate of fish that he can't see over ? 
God bless his fat soul with good health and good spirits to the end 
of the war, that we may all have a happy meeting in the North. 
Please to give my compliments to your brother, and tell him we 
are catching at smoky glory while he is wisely treasuring up solid 
coin." 

On the 19th of August, Washington, learning of the 
expected arrival of the lleet of De Grasse, marched his 



CAMPAIGN IN VIRGINIA. 153 

army to the southward, having aliancloned the attempt 
upon New York, in order to operate, in conjunction with 
the French military and naval forces, against Lord Corn- 
walhs in Virginia. He reached Williamsburg on Septem- 
ber 14, and, accompanied by Rochambeau, Chastellux, 
Knox, and Duportail, immediately repaired to the fleet 
of De Grasse, and a plan of co-operation was arranged 
on board the " Ville de Paris." Expecting an attack from 
a British fleet not much inferior to his own, and thinking 
his station within the Chesapeake unfavorable for a naval 
combat, the French admiral a few days later designed to 
put to sea with his fleet in quest of the British. This 
alarmed the American commander, who despatched La 
Fayette and Knox to entreat him to preserve his station, 
in which they fortunately prevailed. 

The following letters, relating to the investiture and 
siege of Yorktown, are not uninteresting, that to Mr. Jay, 
our minister to Sjjain, giving a full account of the Virginia 
campaign : — 

TO WILLIAM KNOX. 

"Head of Elk, 8 Sept. 1781, 

" I rob my business of one moment to inform you that our army 
is here, and will, with all its stores, proceed down the Chesapeake 
in three days. Our prospects are good ; and I shall hope to inform 
you, in fifteen days, that we have had Cornwallis completely in- 
vested. The Count de Grasse's squadron is a noble one, and will 
prevent the enemy's escape by water. I hope we shall do it by 
land. 

" Lucy leaves her daughter in Philadelphia, and in five or six 
days will set out for Virginia to reside with Mrs. Washington." 

TO MRS. KNOX AT MOUNT VERNON. 

" Camp before York, 1 Oct. 1781. 

" We came before York on the 28th, on the 29th nearly com- 
pleted the investiture ; but yesterday the enemy evacuated their 

20 



154 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

outposts, which gives us a considerable arlvantage in point of time. 
Our prospects are goocl, and we shall soon hope to impress our 
hauglity foe with a respect for the continental arms." 

TO MRS. KNOX. 

"Camp before York, eight o'clock a.m., 19 Oct. 1781. 
" I have detained William until this moment that I might be the 
first to communicate good neics to the charmer of my soul. A glorious 
moment for America ! This day Lord Cornwallis and his army 
march out and pile their arms in the face of our victorious army. 
The day before yesterday he desired commissioners might be named 
to treat of the surrender of his troops, the ships, and every thing 
they possess. He at first requested that the Britons might be sent 
to Britain, and the Germans to Germany ; but this the General 
refused, and they have now agreed to surrender prisoners of war, 
to be kept in America until exchanged or released. They will have 
the same honors as the garrison of Charleston ; that is, they ^c^ll not 
be permitted to unfurl their colors, or play Yankee Doodle. We 
know not yet how many they are. The General has just requested 
me to be at head-quarters instantly, therefore I cannot be more 
particular." 

TO JOHN JAY. 
" Camp before York, in Virginia, 21 Oct. 1781. 

" The enemy's operations in these States, though not carried on 
with great armies, compared with those of 177G and 1777, yet 
were so formidable as to dispel every force which the country of 
itself was capable of opposing. This rendered it necessary for 
America to march its army here, or give up the Southern States 
as lost. It appears, also, to have been the opinion of the French 
Court, as Count de Grasse gave intelligence of his intention of 
arriving at the Capes of Virginia. Our previous views were New 
York. The dispositions were made on the Hudson's River for the 
attack of Lord Cornwallis in Virginia, and every thing has suc- 
ceeded equal to our sanguine wishes. 

"This important affair has been effected by the most harmonious 
concurrence of circumstances that could possibly have happened : a 
fleet and troops from the West Indies, under the orders of one of the 



SIEGE OF YORKTOWN. 155 

best men in the world ; an army of American and French troops, 
marching from the North River, — five hundred miles, — and the 
fleet of Count de Barras, all joining so exactly in point of time as 
to render what has happened almost certain. 

" I shall not enter into a detail of circumstances previous to the 
collection of our force at Williamsburg, twelve miles distant from 
this place, which was made on the 27th ult. On the 28th we 
marched to the camp, and on the 29th and 30th we completed the 
investiture of York. A body of American militia, Lauzun's legion, 
and some marines from the fleet of Count de Grasse, at the same 
time formed in the vicinity of Gloucester, so as to prevent any 
incursions of the enemy into the country. From the 1st October to 
the 6th was spent in preparing our materials for the siege, bringing 
forward our cannon and stores, and in reconnoitring the points of 
attack. On the evening of the Gth we broke ground and began our 
first parallel within six hundred yards of the enemy's works, un- 
discovered. 

" The first i:)arallel, four redoubts, and all our batteries were 
finished by the 9th, at two o'clock r.M., when we opened our bat- 
teries and kept them playing continually. On the night of the 12th 
we began our second parallel, at three hundred yards' distance from 
the enemy. And on the night of tlie 14th we stormed the two 
redoubts which the enemy had in advance of their main works. 
The gallant troops of France under the orders of Baron de Vio- 
menil, and the hardy soldiers of America under the Marquis de 
la Fayette, attacked separate works and carried them in an in- 
stant. This brilliant stroke was effected without any great loss 
on our side: the enemy lost between one and two hundred. This 
advantage was important, and gave us an opportunity of perfecting 
our second parallel, into which we took the two I'edoubts. On the 
1 Gth, just before day, the enemy made a sortie, and spiked up some 
of our cannon, but were soon repulsed and driven back to their 
works. The cannon were soon cleared ; and the same day our 
batteries in the second parallel began the fire, and continued without 
intermission until nine o'clock in the morning of the 17th October, 
ever memorable on account of the Saratoga affair, when the enemy 
sent a flag, offering to treat of the surrender of the posts of York 
and Gloucester. The firing continued until two o'clock, when com- 
missioners on both sides met to adjust the capitulation, which was 



156 LIFE OF HENEY KNOX. 

not finished and signed until twelve o'clock on the 19th. Our troops 
took possession of two redoubts of the enemy soon after, and about 
two o'clock the enemy marched out and grounded their arms. 

" The whole garrison are prisoners of war, and had the same 
honors only as were granted to our garrison at Charleston, — their 
colors were cased, and they were prohibited playing a French or 
American tune. 

" The returns are not yet collected ; but including officers, sick, 
and well, there are more than seven thousand, exclusive of seamen, 
■who are supposed to amount to one thousand. There are near forty 
sail of topsail vessels in the harbor, about one-half of which the eneniy 
sunk upon different occasions ; about two hundred pieces of cannon, 
nearly one-half of them brass ; a great number of arms, drums, and 
colors are among the trophies of this decisive stroke. The prisoners 
are to be sent into any part of this State, Maryland, or Pennsyl- 
vania. The consequences will be extensively beneficial. The 
enemy will immediately be confined to Charleston and New York, 
and reduced to a defensive war of those two posts, for which they 
have not more troops in America than to form adequate garrisons." 

Knox's skill and activity in providing and forwarding 
heavy cannon for the siege of Yorktown caused Washing- 
ton to report to the President of Congress that " the 
resources of his genius supplied the deficit of means ; " 
and he was complimented in general orders after the sur- 
render, and recommended for promotion. Chastelhix, in 
his " Travels in Nortli America," also pays him a high 
compliment. " We cannot," he says, " sufficiently admire 
the intelligence and activity with which he collected from 
different places and transported to the batteries more than 
thirty pieces of cannon and mortars of large calibre, for 
the siege." Again he says: "The artillery Avas alwa3'S 
very well served, the general incessantly directing it and 
often himself pointing the mortars : seldom did he leave 
the batteries. . . • The English marvelled at the exact 
fire and the terrible execution of the French artillery; and 
we marvelled no less at the extraordinary progress of the 



CONGRATULATIONS OF GREENE. 157 

American artillery, and at the capacity and instruction of 
tlie officers. As to General Knox, but one-half has been 
said in commending his military genius. He is a man of 
talent, well instructed, of a buoyant disposition, ingenuous 
and true : it is impossible to know him without esteeming 
and loving him." In a letter to Knox, of March 30, 1782, 
he thus manifests the warmth of his friendship : — 

" My sentiments will always meet yours, and I hope that I shall 
not be excelled in serving America and loving General Knox. 
Let ns be brothers in arms, and friends in time of peace. Let the 
alliance between our respective countries dwell in our bosoms, where 
it shall find a perfect emblem of the two powers : in mine, the 
seniority ; in yours, the extent of territory. 

" I depend upon your faith, and pledge my honor tliat no interest 
in the world can prevail over the warm and firm attachment with 
which I have the honor to be De Chastellux." 

General Greene thus congratidates his friend u|)on the 
victory at Yorktown : — 

" Head-quarteks at the Round 0, 10 Dec. 1781. 

"My dear Friend, — Your favor of the 1st November has just 
come to hand. Whatever sweet things may be said of me, there 
are not less said of you. Colonel Lee, who lately returned from 
the Northern army, says you are the genius of it, and that every 
thing is said of you that you can wish. I will not wound your deli- 
cacy by repeating his remarks. Your success in Virginia is brilliant, 
glorious, great, and important. The Commander-in-chief's head is 
all covered with laurels, and yours so shaded with them that one can 
hardly get sight of it. 

" I long to be with 3"ou, our spirits are congenial and our prin- 
ciples and sentiments the same. A long distance separates, and 
alas ! I fear, with you, we shall not have a happy meeting for a long 
time to come. But be assured my esteem and affection are neither 
lessened by time nor -distance ; and I hope at some future day, when 
tlie cannon shall cease to roar, and the olive-branch appears, we 
shall experience a happy meeting. Your great success in Virginia 



158 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

gives me the most flattering hopes that this winter will terminate 
the war.* 

" P.8. — Don't be surprised if you hear I attempt the siege of 
Charleston ; nor must you be disappointed greatly, should we fail." 

In March, 1782, Knox find Gouverneur Morris were 
appointed commissioners to arrange a cartel for a general 
exchange of prisoners ; to liquidate the expenses of their 
maintenance ; and to provide for their subsistence in 
future. 

They met the British Commissioners — General William 
Dalrymple, whom Knox had formerly known as com- 
mander of the 14th Regiment in Boston, and Andrew 
Elliot, Esq. — at Elizabethtown, N. J., on the 30th ; but the 
differences upon essential points were so great, no arrange- 
ment could be effected, notwithstanding the earnest and 
persevering exertions of the American agents. They 
transmitted the account of their proceedings to Washing- 
ton, who thus replied : — 

'•I should do injustice to my own feelings on this occasion if I 
did not express something beyond my bare approbation of the atten- 
tion, address, and ability exhibited by you, gentlemen, in the course 
of this tedious and fruitless nejzotiation. The want of succeeding in 
the great object of your mission does not, however, lessen in my 
estimation the merit which is due to the unwearied assiduity for the 
public good, and the benevolent zeal to alleviate the distresses of 
the unfortunate, which seem to have actuated you on every occasion, 
and for which, I entreat, you will be pleased to accept my most 
cordial thanks." 

In the following letter to Washington, Knox refers 
to the obstacles the commissioners had encountered, and 
acknowledges his obligations to him for his promotion as 
a major-general, which took place on the 22d of March, 
1782, dating from 15 November, 1781 : — 



APPOINTED TO COMMAND AT WEST POINT. 159 



KNOX TO WASHINGTON. 

" Baskenridge, 21 April, 1782. 

" "We have at last left Elizabethtown. Our stay there was 
unreasonably protracted by the frequent references to New York. 

" We have very good reason to believe that all the important 
propositions made by us were discussed in New York by a council 
of general officers. . . . PLvery circumstance we observed tended 
to convince us that we never shall obtain justice or equal treatment 
from the enemy but when [we are] in a situation to demand it. 

..." Your Excellency knows the importance and value of the 
intelligence you obtain through the medium of Elizabethtown. In 
my opinion, nothing but the importance of this would counter- 
balance the evils which arise from continuing a post there. If all 
exchanges of prisoners were made by the North River, it would be 
better, and prevent much improper communication, which unavoid- 
ably prevails at present. 

"I have received a letter from General Lincoln, informing that 
Congress have been pleased to promote me in the manner most 
flattering to my wishes, founded upon your Excellency's letter from 
Yorktown. 

"I cannot express how deeply I am impressed with a sense of 
your kindness, and the favorable point of view in which you have 
regarded my feeble attempts to promote the service of my country. 
I shall ever retain, my dear General, a lively sense of your goodness 
and friendship, and shall be happy indeed if my future conduct shall 
meet with your approbation." 

In July, Knox, who had been inspecting the fortifica- 
tions of West Point, informed Washington by letter of its 
inability to stand a siege, and of the deficiencies in its 
magazines, buildings, &c. ; and, on being appointed to the 
command of that post on Aug. 29, set himself vigorously at 
work to strengthen and complete the works. In his letter 
of instructions, Washington thus evinces his appreciation 
of Knox : " I liave so thorough a confidence in you, and 
so well am I acquainted with your abilities and activity, 
that I think it needless to point out to you the great out- 
lines of your duty." 



160 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

The discontent of the army respecting the arrearages of 
its pay was increased by the prospect of its being ere long 
disbanded, without adequate provision by Congress for a 
settlement ; and it manifested itself in audible murmurs 
and complaints, which threatened serious consequences. 

In December, 1782, a committee of officers was chosen 
to draft an address and petition to Congress. This was 
drawn up by Knox, its chairman, and contained a state- 
ment of the amounts due them ; a proposal that the half- 
pay for life should be commuted for a specific sum ; and a 
request that security should be given by the government 
for the fulfilment of its engagements. 

General McDougall, with Colonels Brooks and Ogden, 
were deputed to bear this memorial to Congress, which 
l)ody, in January, 1783, passed resolves concerning it, 
indefinite in their character and unsatisfactory to the 
officers. The disappointment and irritation felt at this 
result produced the famous " Newburg Addresses," by 
which the feelings of the officers were wrought up to 
the highest pitch. 

At this point the strenuous exertions of Knox were 
joined with those of Washington, in composing the dis- 
contented and mutinous spirit which appeared ; and at 
the meeting of officers held March 15th, at which Wash- 
ington by a patriotic and impressive address allayed the 
storm which threatened the peace of the country, Knox 
moved the resolutions thanking him for the course he had 
pursued and expressive of their unabated attachment, and 
also declaring their unshaken reliance on the good faith of 
Congress and their country, and a determination to bear 
with patience their grievances till,. in due time, they should 
be redressed. The subject was again considered in Con- 
gress, and the commutation and other provisions asked for 
in the memorial were granted. 



DISCONTENT OF THE ARMY. 161 

The extracts from Knox's letters, given below, present a 
faithful picture of his sentiments and those of the army 
upon this subject, and upon the still more important one, 
— a stronger and more responsible government. 

TO GENERAL LINCOLN. 

" 20 Dec. 1782. 
" I am, and I believe the whole array are, perfectly in sentiment 
with you respecting a commutation of half-pay. The accounts up 
to the present period ought to be settled by somebody. The State 
settlement for the reasons you have given must be preferable. The 
expectations of the army, from the drummer to the highest officei's, 
are so keen for some pay, that I shudder at the idea of their not 
receiving it. The utmost period of sufferance upon that head has 
arrived. To attempt to lengthen it will undoubtedly occasion com- 
motions. The gentlemen sent with the address have been unable 
to raise the money for their expenses, until yesterday. The army 
will have anxious moments until they shall know the result." 

TO GOUVERNEUR MORRIS. 

" 21 Feb. 1783. 

" The army generally have always reprobated the idea of being 
thirteen armies. Their ardent desires have been to be one conti- 
nental body looking up to one sovereign. This would have pre- 
vented much heai't-burning at the partialities which have been 
practised by the respective States. They know of no way of bring- 
ing this about, at a period when peace appears to be in full view. 
Certain it is they are good patriots, and would forward any thing 
that would tend to produce union, and a permanent general consti- 
tution ; ... but they must be directed in the mode by the proper 
authority. 

"It is a favorite toast in the army, 'A hoop to the barrel,' or 
' Cement to the Union.' America will have fought and bled to little 
purpose if the powers of government shall be insufficient to preserve 
the peace, and this must be the case without general funds. As 
the present Constitution is so defective, why do not you great men 
call the people together and tell them so ; that is, to have a conven- 
tion of the States to form a better Constitution ? This appears to us, 

21 



162 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

who have a superficial view only, to be the more efficacious remedy. 
Let something be done before a peace takes place, or we shall be 
in a worse situation than we were at the commencement of the 
war." 

TO GENERAL MtDOUGALL. 

" West Point, 21 Feb. 1783. 

" I received the report signed by you and Colonel Ogden, copies 
of which have been distributed to the different parts of the army. 
The business, instead of being brought to a close, seems more re- 
mote from a decision than it was before the application to Congress. 
The complex system of government operates most powerfully in 
the present instance against the army, who certainly deserve every 
thing in the power of a grateful people to give. 

" We are in an unhappy predicament indeed, not to know who 
are responsible to us for a settlement of accounts. 

" Posterity will hardly believe that an army contended incessantly 
for eight years under a constant pressure of misery to establish the 
liberties of their country, without knowing who were to compensate 
them or whether they were ever to receive any reward for their 
services. It is high time that we should, now we have a prospect 
of peace, know whether the respective States or the whole, aggre- 
gately, are to recognize our dues and to place them upon such prin- 
ciples as to promise some future benefit. Much has been said about 
the influence of the army : ... it can only exist in one point, that 
to be sure is a sharp point, which I hope in God will never be 
directed but against the enemies of the liberties of America. . . . 

" It will take much time to change or amend the present form [of 
government] : must our accounts, therefore, remain unsettled until 
this shall have been considered and decided upon ? I think not. 

" My sentiments are exactly these. I consider the reputation of 
the American array as one of the most immaculate things on earth, 
and that we should even suffer wrongs and injuries to the utmost 
verge of toleration rather than sully it in the least degree. But 
there is a point beyond which there is no sufferance. I pray sin- 
cerely we may not pass it. ... I have not taken the sense of the 
army upon your report ; that is, I have not called any number of 
officers together upon this subject, because, as no decision has been 
made, nothing they can say will, in the least, forward the matter. I 
ardently wish you may be able to fix the rate of commutation, and 



OPPOSES VIOLENT MEASURES. 163 

have a person appointed to settle the accounts of the army, and then 
have a reference to the respective States, to become responsible for 
the sums which may be found due upon both principles of accounts 
and commutation of half-pay. 

"You will readily perceive I mean this as a private letter, nay, 
more, a confidential one." 

TO THE SAME. 

" West Point, 3 March, 1783. 

" The army are impatiently waiting the result of your mission. 
I earnestly wish it may produce more than it at present seems to 
promise. I am certain nothing is wanting on your part to bring 
the matter to a happy termination. It is enough to sicken one 
to observe how light a matter many States make of their not being 
represented in Congress, — a good proof of the badness of the 
present Constitution. 

" Your view of the sentiments of the people on a prospect of 
peace is a just representation of what we are to expect after that 
event. However, let them first do the army justice, and we shall 
demand a very small pittance of their gratitude, and little shall we 
find it. 

To McDoiigall he again writes on the 12th, two days 
after the appearance of the " Newburg Addresses : " — 

'' I sincerely hope we shall not be influenced to actions which 
may be contrary to our uniform course of service for eight years. 
The men who, by their illiberality and injustice drive the army to 
the very brink of destruction, ought to be punished with severity. 

"The measures we can take to remedy our evils are not known 
to me. I know not how by any violence we can obtain a settle- 
ment of accounts, and have the half-pay placed upon proper prin- 
ciples, except by the applications we have made. Endeavor, my 
dear friend, once more to convince the obdurate of the awful evils 
which may arise from postponing a decision on the subjects of our 
address." 

TO GENERAL LINCOLN. 

" West Point, 3 March, 1783. 
"I most earnestly conjure you to urge that every thing respect- 
ing the army be decided upon before peace takes place. No time 



164 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

ought to be lost. Let the public only comply with their own prom- 
ises, and the army will return to their respective homes the lambs 
and bees of the community. But if they should be disbanded pre- 
vious to a settlement, without knowing who to look to for an adjust- , 
ment of accounts and a responsibility of payment, they will be so 
deeply stung by (he injustice and ingratitude of their country as to 
become its tigers and wolves." 

And again, on the 12th: — 

"The officers are waiting impatiently the result of General 
McDougall's mission. Their impatience is almost heightened into 
despair. Papers have been distributed by unknown persons, call- 
ing the body of the officers together yesterday in the new building, 
accompanied by an address calculated to rouse the officers to re- 
dress their own grievances. The Commander-in-chief requested 
that the meeting might be postponed until next Saturday. What 
will be the result, God only knows. Congress ought not to lose a 
moment in bringing the affiiirs of the army to a decision. Push the 
matter instantly, my dear sir, with all your might and main." 

On the 16th he writes : — 

"The meeting was had yesterday. The occasion, though in- 
tended for opposite purposes, has been one of the happiest circum- 
stances of the war, and will set the military character of America 
in a high point of view. If the people have the most latent spark 
of gratitude, this generous proceeding of the army must call it forth. 
For these reasons, I think the proceedings ought to be published. 
Can you not have this done immediately? If so, forward some 
hundred copies to the army. The General's address is a masterly 
performance." 

It was at this time that Knox, in order to perpetuate 
the friendships formed by the officers of the army, so soon 
to be disbanded, and at the same time to create a fund for 
their indigent widows and orphans, founded the Society of 
the Cincinnati, each officer upon joining contributing to 



FOUNDS THE CINCINNATI SOCIETY. 165 

its treasury one month's pay. Washington was chosen 
its President, and Knox Secretary ; and the French ad- 
mirals, generals, and colonels who had served in America 
were also constituted members. 

Its Institution, which was the work of Knox, was car- 
ried into effect, with some slight amendments, in May, 
1783. One of its features aroused considerable hostilitj^, 
and gave rise to much discussion. This was the provision 
by which the eldest male heir succeeded to a vacant mem- 
bership, and which was vehemently assailed as introducing 
an order of nobility into the re^^ublic. Time has refuted 
the calumnies to which the Society was subjected ; and its 
career of beneficence, still active, testifies to the wisdom 
as well as to the benevolence of its founder. Knox con- 
tinued its secretary until the year 1800, and in 1805 
became vice-president. He was also vice-president of the 
Massachusetts branch in 1783. 

Knox had been left by Washington in command of the 
army on August 26, and in November he began the deli- 
cate and arduous task of disbanding it. The evacuation of 
New York by the enemy gave rise to the following cor- 
respondence between the respective commanders : — 

WASHINGTON TO KNOX. 

"Rocky Hill, 23 Oct. 1783. 

" The arrival of the definitive treaty aod the evacuation of New 
York have been so long delayed as to interfere very materially with 
our arrangements for the celebration of peace. ... I think, there- 
fore, that it will be best to defer it until the British leave the city, 
and then to have it at that place, where all who choose to attend 
can find accommodation. 

" Sir Guy Carleton some time since informed me, through Mr. 
Parker, that he should leave New York, in all, next month, prob- 
ably by the 20th ; and that when the transports which were gone 
to Nova Scotia returned, he should be able to fix the day. This 



166 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

notice may be short ; and, as it is best to be prepared, I wish you to 
confer on the subject with Governor Chnton, and liave every neces- 
sary arrangement made for taking possession of the city on their 
leaving it. You will please to report to me the arrangements you 
may agree on. 

" Enclosed I transmit you copy of a proclamation of Congress for 
the dissolution of the army : you will please to publish it to the 
troops under your orders." 

KNOX TO SIR GUY CARLETON. 

" West Point, 9 Nov. 1783. 

" Sfr, — By your Excellency's verbal message, transmitted 
through Mr. Parker to his Excellency General Washington, ex- 
pressing your expectations of being able to withdraw his Brittauic 
Majesty's troops from New York in the course of the present month ; 
and by recent reports from there, it appears probable that the period 
is fixed for that event. In this case, I flatter myself your Excel- 
lency will see how necessary it may be for the protection of the 
city and its inhabitants, that it should be immediately occupied by 
some American forces. I have received his Excellency General 
Washington's directions on this head, and I have consulted with his 
Excellency Governor Clinton, who is too unwell to take any meas- 
ures himself, but is exceedingly desirous that every arrangement 
shoukl be made which would induce to good order until the civil 
authority of the State should be established. 

" Having the command of the military in this quarter, and being 
assured of your Excellency's perfect disposition to insure the safety 
of the city, I have taken the liberty to address you upon this point, 
and to request the honor that you would favor me in season with 
the information of the precise time when you may please to relin- 
quish the jurisdiction of the posts now in your possession, as the 
troops for the before-mentioned purpose would principally be drawn 
from the neighborhood of this post. I hope it will be a sufficient 
apology for requesting five or six days' notice previous to the em- 
barkation of the last of your corps. 

" Captain Lillie, my aide-de-camp, will have the honor to deliver 
this letter and receive your Excellency's answer." 



EVACUATION OF NEW YORK. 167 

SIK GUY CARLETON TO KNOX. 

" New York, 12 Nov. 1783. 

" Sir, — I have this day commiiuicated to his Excellency General 
AVashington, by letter, my intention of relinquishing the posts at 
King's Bridge and as far as McGowan's Pass, inclusive, on this 
Island on the 21st instant; to resign the possession of Herrick's 
and Hampstead with all to the eastward on Long Island, on the 
same day ; and, if possible, to give up this city with Brooklyn on 
the day following, and Paulus Hook, Dennys's, and Staten Lsland 
as soon after as may be practicable, reserving only with respect to 
New York that, if any of our ships should happen to want repairs 
after the town is evacuated, we shall still have the free and unin- 
terrupted use of the Ship Yard, under the direction of such officer 
as the Admiral shall appoint, as long as it may be requisite for that 
purpose. 

" Major Beckwith, my oldest aide-de-camp, who waits upon you 
with this letter, will communicate such other particulars as may be 
necessary for your further information." 

On the 25th of November the British army evacuated 
the city ; and Knox, at the head of the American trooj^s, 
took . possession. The principal officers of the army yet 
remaining in service assembled, on Dec. 4, at Fraunce's 
Tavern to take a final leave of their beloved chief. Wash- 
ington entered the room where they were all waiting, and 
taking a glass of wine in his hand he said, " With a heart 
full of love and gratitude I now take leave of you. I most 
devoutly wish that your latter days may be as prosperous 
and happy as your former ones have been glorious and 
honorable." Having drunk, he continued : " I cannot 
come to each of you to take my leave, but shall be obliged 
to you if each will come and take me by the hand." Knox 
who stood nearest to him turned and grasped his hand ; 
and while the tears flowed down the cheeks of each, the 
Commander-in-chief kissed him. This he did to each of 
his. officers, while tears and sobs stifled utterance. 



168 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

Upon his return to West Point, Dee. IStli, Knox was 
officially thanked by Governor Clinton and the Council for 
his attention to the rights of the citizens of the State of 
New York, and for his zeal in preserving peace and good 
order since the evacuation. 

The following letter to Washington explains itself : — 

"West Point, 29 Sept. 1783. 

" Sir, — I bejT leave to state to your Excellency, and through 
you to the honorable Congress, that the unavoidable expenses aris- 
ing from the command of this post and its dependencies have 
greatly exceeded any emoluments of office arising from my rank 
in the army ; and that, in order to support my station with some 
propriety, so as not to reflect disgrace upon the public rank I sus- 
tain, I have been obliged to make use of my private resources to a 
considerable amount. 

"That it has uniformly been customary, from the peculiar 
expenses of the command, to allow the emoluments of a major- 
o-eneral commanding in a separate department, and that said allow- 
ance was withdrawn a short time previous to your Excellency's 
ordering me on the command. It may be unnecessary to enter 
into a detail of circumstances which have rendered my com- 
mand as expensive as that of my predecessors. It is sufficient 
that I can easily prove that it has been so. I therefore honestly 
hope to have the same compensation. 

" 1 pray that your Excellency would have the goodness to place 
this request before Congress in the manner that you may think it 
deserves." 

In consequence of this application, Congress, on the 
30th of October, allowed him the pay of a major-general in 
a separate department, during his command at West Point. 
This gave him an additional sum of ninety dollars per 
month from Sept. 1st, 1782, amounting to $1,350. He 
retained command of that post until early in January, 
1784. 

With Washington he continued to keep U]^ an active 



MASTER GENERAL OF ORDNANCE. 169 

correspondence, whicli terminated only with the death of 
his chief, whose efforts were not wanting when, as in the 
present case, it seemed likely that they could be of service 
to his friend who desired to continue to serve his country 
in the capacity in which he could be most useful. 

KNOX TO WASHINGTON. 

" West Point, 17 Sept. 1783. 

"My dear General, — I canuot refrain from commuuicating 
the joy I feel, and the pleasure manifested by the officers iu gen- 
eral, upon the noble testimony of gratitude exhibited by Congress 
in their resolve concerning the Equestrian Statue. This permanent 
evidence of their sense of your services will iUustrate their virtue 
and honor more than whole columns of panegyric. 

" I am daily solicited for information respecting the progress 
of the officers' petition for a new State w^estward of the Ohio. 
. . . Were the prayer of the petition to be granted, the officers 
in a very few years would make the finest settlement on tiie fron- 
tiers, and form a strong barrier against the barbarians. 

" I have had it in contemplation for a long time past, to mention 
to your Excellency the idea of a master general of ordnance. But I 
hesitated, and finally declined it in my last opinion to you upon 
a peace establishment, lest it might be concluded that I was endeav- 
oring to create a post for myself. But the resignation of the min- 
ister of war eventual upon the definitive treaty of peace, and his 
opinion that no successor will be appointed, joined to the necessity 
of having some person responsible to Congress, .seem to combine to 
render such an officer peculiarly necessary, who should principally 
reside near Congress to execute orders as they should think proper 
for the dignity or security of the republic. It is a well-known 
fact that so complex and extensive a business as the formation 
of an ordnance and its numerous dependencies, the manufacture of 
small arms and accoutrements, must be the work of much time, and 
can only be efi'ectually prepared in profound peace. 

" Congress have evinced so much wisdom and magnanimity in 
their conduct, that it cannot be doubted that they will make the 
most substantial arrangements for future exigencies consistent with 
their revenues and the nicest economy. 

22 



170 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

" The abundant experience I have had of your Excellency's 
kindness and friendship has induced me to communicate this in 
confidence. I beg leave at the same time to remark, that, although 
my expectations and wishes are for private life, yet if any office 
similar to the above should be formed upon the broad scale of 
national policy, I might, if thought worthy, find it convenient to 
give it my zealous assistance. I mention this matter more readily 
from a remembrance of your favorable recommendations for the 
office of Secretary at War." 

AVASIIINGTON TO KNOX. 

"Rocky Hill, 2d Nov. 1783. 
" General Lincoln's resignation has been offered, and accepted by 
Congress. ... I have conversed with several members of Congress 
upon the propriety, in time of peace, of uniting the offices of Secie- 
tary at War and Master of Ordnance in one person, and letting him 
have the command of the troops on the peace establishment, not as 
an appendage of right, — for that I think would be wrong, — but by 
sepai'ate appointment at the discretion of Congress. Those I have 
spoken to on tlie subject seem to approve the idea, which, if adopted, 
would make a handsome appointment. I will converse with others 
on this head, and let you know the result. My wishes to serve you 
in it you need not doubt, being with much truth 

" Your most affectionate 

" George Washington." 

knox to washington. 

" West Point, 3d Jan. 1784. 

..." I have discharged all the troops but those specified in the 
enclosed return. I believe I did not mention to your Excellency 
my ideas of the pay for the offices that might be associated ; viz., 
the duties of the Secretary at War, Master of Ordnance,* and 
charge or command of any troops wliich might be retained in ser- 
vice. It appears to me, and I hope tliat I fairly estimate the 
expenses and trouble, that the pay and emoluments of a major- 
general in a separate department free of any encumbrances would 
not be an unreasonable appointment. Should Congress think 
proper to honor me with an offer of these offices associated together, 
I should be willing to accept them upon the above terms ; but I 



COMMISSIONER TO THE PENOBSCOT INDIANS. 171 

should do injustice to myself and family to accept of any employ- 
ment wliicli would not prevent my involving myself. 

" Having brought the affairs here nearly to a close, I shall soon 
depart for Boston, for which place Mrs. Knox and her little family 
set out from New York on the 10th ult. I should do violence to 
the dictates of my heart were I to suppress its sensations of affec- 
tion and gratitude to you for the innumerable instances of your 
kindness and attention to me. And, although I can find no words 
equal to their warmth, I may venture to assure you that they will 
remain indelibly fixed. I devoutly pray the Supreme Being to con- 
tinue to afford you his especial protection." 

In Januar\v 1^784, Knox arrived at Boston, and took np 
his residence in Dorchester.* 

With General Lincohi and George Partridge he was in 
June appointed by the General Court of Massachusetts a 
commissioner to treat with the Penobscot Indians, in order 
to induce them to relinquish their lands from the head of 
the tide forty miles up the river. They were also in- 
structed to examine whether the people under the govern- 
ment of Nova Scotia had encroached upon the territories 
of Massachusetts, and to settle the Eastern boundary line, 
a dispute having arisen as to which was the river St. Croix 
intended by the treaty with Great Britain. The commis- 
sioners having performed the duty assigned them made 
their report a few months later. 

From Paris La Fayette writes to Knox on Jan. 8, 
178-1 : — 

" It has been to me a great happiness to hear from you ; and while 
we are separated, I beg you will let me enjoy it as often as possible. 
You know my tender affection for you, my dear Knox, is engi-aved 

* The house in which Knox lived may still be seen a short distance 
beyond the Second Congregational Church, on the upper road to Milton. It 
was formerly owned b^' a Mr. Jones. It has long been the property of the 
Welles family, bankers of Boston and Paris, and was for one or more years 
the summer residence of Daniel Webster. 



172 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

in my heart, and I shall keep it as long as I live. From the begin- 
ning of our great Revolution, which has been the beginning of our 
acquaintance, we have been actuated by the same principles, im- 
pre>sed with the same ideas, attached to the same friends, and we 
have warmly loved and confidentially intrusted each other. The 
remembrance of all this is dear to my heart ; and from every motive 
of tenderness and regard, I set the greater value by the happiness 
of your possession as a bosom friend. I have been much employed 
in rendering America what service I could in the aiFairs of her 
commerce. AVhat I can do must be entirely done before the spring, 
when 1 intend embarking for my beloved shores of Liberty. My 
delays in Europe are owing to motives of American public ser- 
vice. . . . Dunkirk, L'Orient, Bayonne, and Marseilles have been 
declared free ports of America." 

When the gallant Frenchman visited Boston in October, 
1784, he was met at Watertown, on the 15th, by a number 
of the officers of the late continental army, headed by 
Knox ; and together they sat down to an elegant repast 
provided for the occasion. On the following day he ^Vas 
waited on by them with an address by Knox, to which the 
marquis made a suitable reply. A more general welcome 
was extended by the citizens on the 19th, when a public 
dinner was given in his honor, at Faneuil Hall, at which 
many persons of distinction, among them seventy-tive 
officers of the Revolutionary army, were present. 

Congress having, on March 4, 1785, fixed the salary of 
the Secretary of War for the future at $2,450, proceeded 
on the 8th to elect Knox to that office. He thus replies 
to the letter of the Secretary notifying him of his elec- 
tion : — 

TO CHARLES THOMSON, ESQ., SECRETARY OF CONGRESS. 

"Boston, 17 March, 1785. 
« SiRj — I have had the pleasure to receive your favor of the 
9th instant, informing of the honor conferred on me by the 



APPOINTED SECRETARY OF WAR. 173 

United States in Congress assembled, in electing me Secretary of 
War, and enclosing the ordinance for ascertaining the powers and 
duties of the office, the act establishing the salary, and the minnte 
of the election. 

" I have the most grateful sentiments to Congress for this distin- 
guishing mark of their confidence ; and I shall, according to the best 
of my abilities, attempt to execute the duties of the office. I shall 
have a perfect reliance upon a candid interpretation of my actions, 
and I shall hope that application to business and propriety of inten- 
tion may, in a degree, excuse a deficiency of talents. 

" My affiiirs here will require my personal attention the latter end 
of May and beginning of June, and I hope to be indulged with a 
few weeks' absence at that time, provided it can be granted without 
jjublic injury. In the mean time, I shall endeavor to be at New 
York about the 12th of next month." 

And from Boston he wrote to Washington on the 24th, 
acquainting him with his appointment, from which letter 
we extract as follows: — 

" You may probably have heard that Congress have been j^leased 
to appoint me Secretary at War. I have accepted the ai>pointment, 
and shall expect to be in New York about the 15th of next month. 
From the habits imbibed during the war, and from the opinion of 
my friends that I should make but an indifferent trader, I thought, 
upon mature consideration, that it was well to accept it, although 
the salary would be but a slender support. I have dejiendence upon 
an unwieldy estate of Mrs. Knox's family, and upon the public cer- 
tificates given for my services ; but neither of these is productive, 
and require a course of years to render them so. In the mean time, 
my expenses are considerable, and require some funds for their suj)- 
ply. Congress have rendered the powers and duties of the office 
respectable; and the circumstances of my appointment, without 
solicitation on my part, were flattering, nine States out of eleven 
voting for me. I do not expect to move my family to New York 
until June next." 

Washington in reply, under date of June 18th, saj's: 
" Without a compliment, I think a better choice could not 
have been made." 



174 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

It is impossible to read without emotion the following 
lines from a letter written by General Greene a short time 
before his death, which occurred on June 19th. It bears 
Knox's indorsement : " This is the last letter I ever 
received from my truly beloved friend, General Greene." 
The first paragraph refers to two pieces of cannon pre- 
sented to him by order of Congress, upon which Knox had 
caused appropriate inscriptions to be engraved. Its closing 
request received Knox's earnest and friendly attention : — 

" Mulberry Grove, 12 March, 1786. 
" I thank you for the polite attention you are paying to my pub- 
lic trophies ; but I have been so embarrassed and perplexed in my 
private affairs for a long time past, which originated in the progress 
of the war, that I have but little spirit or pleasure on such subjects. 
My family is in distress, and I am overwhelmed with difficulties ; 
and God knows when or where they will end. I work hard and 
live poor, but I fear all this will not extricate me. . . . Please to 
give me your opinion upon sending George [his son] to the Marquis 
La Fayette, agreeable to his request. Let your answer be as candid 
as I trust your friendship is sincere." 

The disturbances in Massachusetts having assumed a 
serious aspect, in October we find Knox at Springfield, 
providing for the security of the arsenal there. To a 
request from General Shepard of the State militia for per- 
mission to use the arms and stores of the United States 
there collected, Knox replies on Jan. 27, 1787, that in case 
the insurgents should demonstrate an intention of seizing 
the arsenal or any of the stores, and it could not other- 
wise be successfully defended, " part might be taken for 
the protection of the remainder, to be returned the instant 
the danger should subside." 

With Washington, Rufus King, Stephen Higginson, 
General Lincoln, Nathaniel Gorhara, and other prominent 
Federalists, he kept up an active correspondence ; and 
in the letters which follow he describes vividly the state 



TROUBLES IN MASSACHUSETTS. 175 

of feeling in Massachusetts, during the period of Shays's 
insurrection, the formation of the Federal Constitution 
and its adoption by that State, a period of intense excite- 
ment, especially to one possessing his ardent temper and 
strong convictions upon the great questions at issue. 

TO AVASHINGTON. 

" New Yoek, 23 Oct. 1786. 

..." I have lately been far eastward of Boston on private busi- 
ness, and WHS no sooner returned here than the commotions in Mas- 
sachusetts hurried me back to Boston on a public account. 

" Our ^jolitical machine, composed of thirteen independent sover- 
eignties, have been perpetually operating against each other and 
against the federal head ever since the peace. The powers of Con- 
gress are totally inadequate to preserve the balance between the 
respective States, and oblige them to do those things which are 
essential for their own welfare or for the general good. The frame 
of mind in the local legislatures seems to be exerted to prevent the 
federal constitution from having any good effect. The machine 
works inversely to the public good in all its parts : not only is State 
against State, and all against the federal head, but the States within 
themselves possess the name only without having the essential con- 
comitant of government, the power of preserving the peace, the pro- 
tection of the liberty and property of the citizens. On the very 
first impression of faction and licentiousness, the fine theoretic 
government of Massachusetts has given way, and its laws [are] 
trampled imder foot. Men at a distance, who have admired our 
systems of government unfounded in nature, are apt to accuse the 
rulers, and say that taxes have been assessed too high and collected 
too rigidly. This is a deception equal to any that has been hitherto 
entertained. That taxes may be the ostensible cause is true, but 
that they are the true cause is as far remote from truth as light from 
darkness. The people who are the insurgents have never paid anv or 
but very little taxes. But they see the weakness of government : they 
feel at once their own poverty conqjared with the opulent, and their 
own force, and they are determined to make use of the latter in 
order to remedy the former. 

'• Their creed is, that the property of the United States has been 



176 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

protected from the confiscations of Britain by the joint exertions of 
all, and therefore ought to be the common property of all ; and he 
that attempts opposition to this creed is an enemy to equality and 
justice, and ought to be swept from the face of the earth. In a 
word, they are determined to annihilate all debts public and private, 
and have agrarian laws, which are easily effected by the means of 
unfunded paper money, which shall be a tender in all cases what- 
ever. The numbers of these people may amount, in Massachusetts, 
to one-fifth part of several populous counties ; and to them may be 
added the jieople of similar sentiments from the States of Rhode 
Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshii-e, so as to constitute a body 
of twelve or fifteen thousand desperate and unprincipled men. They 
are chiefly of the young and active part of the community, more 
easily collected than ke2)t together afterwards. But they will prob- 
ably commit overt acts of treason, which will compel them to embody 
for their own safety. Once embodied, they will be constrained to 
submit to discipline for the same reason. 

" Having proceeded to this length, for which they are now ripe, 
we shall have a formidable rebellion against reason, tlie principle of 
all government, and against the very name of liberty. 

" This dreadful situation, for which our government have made 
no adequate provision, has alarmed every man of principle and prop- 
erty in New England. They start as from a dream, and ask what 
can have been the cause of our delusion ? What is to give us 
security against the violence of lawless men ? Our government 
must be braced, changed, or altered to secure our lives and property. 
We imagined that the mildness of our government and the wishes 
of the people were so correspondent that we were not as other 
nations, recpiiring brutal force to support the laws. 

"But we find that we are men, — actual men, possessing all the 
turbulent passions belonging to that animal, and that we must have 
a government proper and adequate for him. 

" The people of Massachusetts, for instance, are far advanced in 
this doctrine, and the men of property and the men of station and 
principle there are determined to endeavor to establish and protect 
them in their lawful pursuits ; and, what will be efficient in all cases 
of internal commotions or foreign invasions, they mean that lib- 
erty shall form the basis, — liberty resulting from an equal and fii-m 
administration of law. 



WANTED, — A STRONG GOVERNMENT. 177 

" They wish for a general government of unity, as they see that 
the local legislatures must naturally and necessarily tend to retard 
the general government. We have arrived at that point of time in 
which we are forced to see our own humiliation, as a nation, and 
that a progression in this line cannot be productive of happiness, 
private or public. Something is wanting, and something must be 
done, or we shall be involved in all the horror of failure, and civil 
war without a prospect of its termination. Every friend to the 
liberty of his country is bound to reflect, and step forward to pre- 
vent the dreadful consequences which shall result from a govern- 
ment of events. Unless this is done, we shall be liable to be ruled 
by an arbitrary and capricious armed tyranny, whose word and will 
must be law. 

"The Indians on our frontiers ai"e giving indisputable evidence of 
their hostile intentions. Congress, anxiously desirous of meeting 
the evils on the frontiers, have unanimously agreed to augment the 
troops now in service to a legionary corps of 2,040 men. This 
measure is important, and will tend to strengthen the principles of 
government, if necessary, as well as to defend the frontiers. I 
mention the idea of strengthening government as confidential. But 
the State of Massachusetts requires the greatest assistance, and 
Congress are fully impressed with the importance of supporting 
her with great exertions." 

TO STEPHEN HIGGINSON. 

" New York, 28th Jan. 1787. 

" The zeal of the people of Boston and the lower country in favor 
of government is a good sign, and will probably produce the results 
expected from it. But, supposing the present disorders quieted, 
some measures will be necessary to prevent a repetition of them. 
Although the patriotism of individuals may restore [to] government 
its former tone, some more certain princijile than zeal will be re- 
quisite to retain it. Massachusetts, by an exertion in the present 
instance, may even acquire a temporary vigor ; but the poor, poor 
federal government is sick almost unto death. 

" But one feeble sign of life for upwards of two, almost three 
months past. No Congress but for part of one day. How things 
are to be worked up so as to produce by its ordinary operations a 
remedy for the numerous existing disorders, or be made adequate to 

23 



178 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

the great purposes of a nation, which, considering its vast resources, 
ought to be a dignified one, it is ditficult, if not impossible, to con- 
jecture. 

" A convention is proposed by Virginia, and acceded to by Penn- 
sylvania, Jersey, probably New York and South Carolina, to consult 
on some plan to prevent our utter ruin. Perhaps this convention 
originated, and has been imbued with ideas, far short of a radical 
reform. Let this have been the case, may it notwithstanding be 
turned to an excellent purpose ? Our views are limited in all things, 
we can only see from point to point at a time. If men — great 
men — are sent to the convention, might they not assist the vision of 
the Southern delegates in such a manner as to induce the adoption 
of some energetic plan, in the prosecution of which we might rise to 
national dignity and happiness? 

" Should the convention agree on some continental constitution, 
and propose the great outlines, either through Congress, or directly 
to their constituents, the respective legislatures, with a request that 
State conventions might be assembled for the sole pui'pose of choos- 
ing delegates to a continental convention in order to consider and 
decide upon a general government, and to publish it for general 
observance in the same manner as Congress formetl and decided 
upon the articles of confederation and perpetual union, would not 
this, to all intents and purposes, be a government derived from the 
people and assented to by them as much as they assented to the 
confederation ? If it be not the best mode, is it not the best which 
is practicable ? If so, one would conclude that it ought to be em- 
braced. 

" The Southern States are jealous enough already. If New Eng- 
land, and particularly Massachusetts, should decline sending delegates 
to the convention, it will operate in a duplicate ratio to injure us by 
annihilating the rising desire in the Southern States of eflfecting 
a better national system, and by adding to their jealousies of the 
designs of New England. 

" I have dwelt on this subject to you, in order that if your senti- 
ments should correspond with mine, that you should influence a 
choice of delegates of such characters as would possess the ability 
of pointing out the road to national glory and felicity." 



FEDERAL CONVENTION PROPOSED. 179 



TO GENERAL LINCOLN. 

"New York, 14 Feb. 1787. 

" While I thank you for your kind communication of the 5th 
inst., I most heartily congratulate you on the successful events con- 
tained therein [the supjjression of the Shays] insurrection. Were 
not your military reputation already highly established, your ma- 
ncEuvres would have elevated it ; but, circumstanced as you are in 
the opinion of your friends and the world, Shays's rebellion is not a 
field in which you could gather fresh laurels. It will be a sufficient 
satisfaction to you that you have dissipated a cloud that threatened 
a violent storm. 

" The convention proposed by the commercial convention last 
September, to meet in Philadelphia in May next, engrosses a great 
portion of the attention of the men of reflection. Some are for 
and some against it ; but the preponderance of opinion is for it. 
None of the New England States have yet chosen, and it aj^pears 
quite problematical whether any will choose unless Massachusetts. 
The convention will be at liberty to consider more diffusively the 
defects of the present system than Congress can, who are the exec- 
utors of a certain system. If what they should think pro2:>er to 
propose, after mature deliberation, should require the assent of the 
people of the respective States, which is supposed necessary in an 
original compact, the convention would recommend to the respective 
legislatures to call State conventions for the sole purpose of choos- 
ing delegates to represent them in a continental convention, in order 
to consider and finally decide on a general constitution, and to pub- 
lish the same for observance. If a differently constructed repub- 
lican government should be the object, the shortest road to it will be 
found to be the convention. I hope, therefore, that Massachusetts 
will choose, and that you, IMr. King, and Mr. Higginson should be 
three of the delegates." 

TO RDFUS KING. 

" New York, 15tli July, 1787. 
" I am happy the convention continue together without agitating 
the idea of adjournment. If their attempts should prove inadequate 
to effect capital alterations, yet experience will be gained, which may 
serve important purposes on another occasion. 



180 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

" The conduct of France in establishing provincial assemblies is 
seized with great eagerness by the advocates for the State systems, 
as a reason against any alterations. But they do not bring into 
view the strong cement of the royal authority supported by 200,000 
soldiers. 

" The State systems are the accursed thing which will prevent our 
being a nation. The democracy might be managed, nay, it would 
remedy itself after being sufficiently fermented ; but the vile State 
governments are sources of i^ollution, which will contaminate the 
American name perhaps for ages. Machines that must produce ill, 
but cannot produce good, smite them in the name of God and 
the people. 

"Eight States in Congress, — they yesterday passed with great 
unanimitjf a system of government for the western territory." 

TO LA FAYETTE. 

" New York, 24 Oct. 1787. 

" You will have received, long before this period, the result of 
the convention which assembled in Philadelphia during the month 
of May. These propositions being essentially different in many 
respects from the existing confederation, and which will probably 
produce different national effects, are contemplated by the public at 
large with an anxious attention. The discussions are commenced 
in the newspapers and in pamphlets, with all the freedom and liber- 
ality which characterize a people who are searching, by their own 
experience, after a form of government most productive of hap- 
piness. To speak decisively at this moment of the fate of the 
proposed constitution, characterizes effectually the person giving the 
opinion. Habituated as I have been for a long time to desire the con- 
solidation of the powers of all parts of this country, as an indispen- 
sable requisite to national character and national happiness, I receive 
the propositions as they are, and from my soul I wish them God 
speed ! The transition from wishing an event, to believing that it 
will happen, is easy indeed. I therefore am led to a strong per- 
suasion that the proposed government will be generally or univer- 
sally adopted in the course of twelve or fifteen months. 

" In desiring that the proposed government may be adopted, I 
would not have you believe that I think it all perfect. There are 
several things in it that I confess I could wish to see altered. But 



STATE OF PARTIES IN MASSACHUSETTS. 181 

I apprehend no alterations can be effected peaceably. All the 
States represented agreed to the constitution as it stands. There 
are substantial reasons to believe that such an agreement could not 
again be produced even by the same men." 

TO WASHINGTON. 

" New York, 14 Jan. 1788. 

"The Massachusetts convention were to meet on the 9th. The 
decision of Connecticut will influence, in a degree, their determi- 
nation, and I have no doubt the constitution will be adopted ; but 
it is at this moment questionable whether with a large majority. 
There are three parties existing in that State at present, not exceed- 
ingly different in their respective numbers, but greatly differing in 
wealth and ability. 

" The first is the commercial part of the State, to whom are added 
all the men of considerable projDerty, the clergy, the lawyers, in- 
cluding all the judges of all the courts ; and all the officers of the 
late army, and the neighborhood of all the great towns, are of this 
I^arty. Its strength in point of numbers may include three-sevenths 
of the whole State. This party are for the most vigorous govern- 
ment. Perhaps many of them would have been more pleased with 
the new constitution, had it been still more analogous to the British 
Constitution. 

" The second party are the Eastern part of the State, lying beyond 
New Hampshire, and formerly the province of Maine. This party 
are mostly looking toward the erection of a new State ; and the 
majority will adopt or reject the new constitution, as it may facilitate 
or retard their designs, without much regard to the great merits of 
the question. This party may not be far less than two-sevenths of 
the State. 

" The third party are the insurgents and their favorers, the great 
majority of whom are for an annihilation of debts, public and in-'i- 
vate, and therefore cannot approve the new constitution. This 
party may be more than two-sevenths. 

" If the first and second party agree, as will be most probable, and 
also some of the party stated as in the insurgent interest, the con- 
stitution will be adopted by a great majority, notwithstanding all 
exertions to the contrary. 

" Mr. Samuel Adams has declared that he will oppose it, to the 



182 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

very great disgust of the people of Boston, his constituents. It is 
said Boston was about to take some spirited measures to prevent 
the effect of his opposition. It is probable the debates will be 
lengthy, and that the convention will sit one month before they 
decide." 

The following from Rufus King to Knox slieds new 
light on the history of the adoption of the Federal Con- 
stitution in Massachusetts, which event took place on 
February 6tli. By it we see that the Federalists in the 
Convention, under the able leadership of Rufus King and 
Theophilus Parsons, secured the support of Governor 
Hancock, who also presided over the deliberations of that 
body, by an adroit appeal to the special foible of the gov- 
ernor, — vanity. Upon such apparently trivial causes do 
the destinies of nations sometimes turn ! 

" Boston, 3 Feb. 1788. 

"Dear General, — Hancock has committed himself in our 
favor, and will not desert the cause. Saturday's 'Centinel' will 
give you an idea of his plan. The Federalists are united in that 
system ; and, as Adams has joined us on this jjlan, we are encour- 
aged to think our success is jjrobable. 

" Gerry keeps close at Cambridge, and his adherents have made 
no motion for his recall. Mr. Hancock's propositions were yester- 
day committed to a committee of two members from each county : 
they meet to-day, and we hope favorably from their deliberations, 
a majority being Federalists. 

" Tlie final question will probably be taken in five or six days. 
You will be astonished, when you see the list of names, that such a 
union of men has taken place on this question. Hancock will here- 
after receive the universal support of Bowdoin's friends, and ive tell 
hi»i that if Virginia does not unite, which is problematical, that he 
is considered as the only fair candidate for President." 

In a letter to La Fayette, dated New York, 26 April, 
1788, Knox, after reciting the facts and probabilities 
respecting the adoption of the Federal Constitution, goes 
on to say : — 



EDUCATION OF GENERAL GREENE'S SON. 183 

" As to Eliode Island, no little State of Greece ever exhibited 
greater turpitude than she does. Paper money and Tender Law 
engross her attention entirely: this is, in other words, plundering 
the orphan and widow by virtue of laws. 

" Mrs. Greene and her little family you so kindly inquire after 
are seated at Wethersfield in Connecticut, under the ausjaices of our 
friend. Colonel Wadsworth. IMrs. Greene is most honorably and indus- 
triously employed in the education of her children. Colonel Wads- 
worth is anxious George should be sent to France, to which Mrs. 
Greene consents. It is possible the young gentleman may be ad- 
dressed to your care in the course of one or two packets hence." 

On the 15th of May, he writes to him again upon this 
subject, as follows : — 

" Mr. Barlow of Connecticut, author of the poem entitled the 
' Vision of Columbus,' whom I recommend to your kindness, will 
deliver you this letter, and also he will present to you the son of 
our late esteemed friend. General Greene. 

"I am perfectly imjjressed with the belief that you will place 
him in such a situation as will at the same time impress the best 
morals and the most enlarged information. 

" The classics and modern languages, as being the work of mem- 
ory, will probably constitute his first studies, together with learning 
the necessary personal exercises to form his manners. Mathematics, 
geography, asti'onomy, and the art of drawing will follow of 
course. 

" I flatter myself that, by being entirely removed to a new sphere, 
he will necessarily imbibe the habits which are in circulation there, 
and that he will be formed on such a scale as to be an honor to the 
memory of his father, and the j^ride of his mother and his other 
friends. 

" His disposition is good, and in my opinion, with a proper edu- 
cation, he promises to make a worthy cliaracter : certain I am that 
under your auspices he will possess the best chances for hap- 
piness." 



184 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

One of his early playmates and friends, Rev. David 
McClure, writes as follows : — 

" East Windsor, Dec. 22, 1788. 

"Dear Sir, — On the footing of that juvenile friendship and 
acquaintance witli you with wliich I have been honored, and which 
was kept alive to our riper years, I now do myself the pleasure to 
address a line to you, to assure you of my respectfid and affection- 
ate remembrance of you, and of the satisfaction with which I some- 
times call to mind those scenes of innocent amusement and play 
in which we were mutually engaged when we were boys. 

" I have often thought of our attempts to imitate the man who 
flew from the steeple of the North Church, by sliding down an oar 
from the small buildings in your father's house-yard at Wheeler's 
Point ; and by letting fly little wooden men from the garret win- 
dow on strings. Have you forgotten that diversion ? 

" I have often rejoiced with gratitude that the Supreme Disposer 
of all events has preserved you through the dangers you have 
encountered, and made you so great a blessing to your country, for 
whose happiness and glory your labors have been directed. May 
you ever possess that increasing esteem and affection from your coun- 
try which your services and merits entitle you to. 

" I am settled agreeably in this place, five miles from Hartford, 
in which I have lived more than two years, and to wliich I removed 
from my former jjarish in Hampton, New Ilampshire." 

To which Knox replies : — 

" New York, 25 Jan. 1789. 

"My dear Sir, — Your esteemed favor of the 22d ult. gave 
me the most sensible pleasure. Our juvenile sports, and the joy- 
ful sensations they excited, are fresh in my mind ; and what to me 
renders the remembrance peculiarl}^ precious is, that I always flat- 
tered myself that our hearts and minds were similarly constructed. 

" Our situations, however, have been widely different. You have 
been deeply exploring the natural and moral world, in order to im- 
press on the minds of your fellow-mortals their relative connection 
with the great scale of intelligent being ; leading them by all the 
powers of jiersuasion to happiness and humble adoration of the 



MRS. KNOX A LEADER OF SOCIETY. 185 

Su25reme Head of the universe ; while I have been but too much 
entangled with the little things of a little globe. But, as it is part 
of my belief that we are responsible only for the light we possess, 
I hope we have both acted our parts in such a manner as that a 
reflection on the past will give us more pleasure than pain, and that 
we shall possess a well-grounded hojie of a happy immortality. 

" My brother William, who is with me, is the only one beside 
myself left of my father's family." * 

During Knox's career as Secretaiy of War, Mrs. Knox 
was one of the leaders of fashionable society at the seat 
of government, and as such attracted considerable notice. 
From the manuscript Journal of Dr. Manasseli Cutler, 
under date of July 7, 1787, we extract as follows. The 
worthy doctor was evidently unaccustomed to the coiffure 
of the fashionable lady of that day. 

" Dined with General.Knox [at New York], introduced to his lady 
and a French nobleman. Marquis Lotbiniere. Several other gentle- 
men dined with us. Our dinner was served in high style, much iu 
the French taste. Mrs. Knox is very gross, but her manners are 
easy and agreeable. She is sociable, and would be agreeable, were 
it not for her affected singularity in dressing her hair. She seems 
to mimic the military style, which to me is very disgusting in a 
female. Her hair in front is ci-aped at least a foot high, much in 
the form of a churn bottom upward, and topped off with a wire 
skeleton in the same form, covered with black gauze, which hangs 
in streamers down to her back. Her hair behind is a large braid, and 
confined with a monstrous crooked comb." 



* This brother writes from London (26 June, 1783): "I have a very 
respectable set of acquaintances in tliis country as well as in France. 
Among the number here is the very respectable and venerable General 
Oglethorpe. I passed Sunday and Monday with his family at their country 
house. He desired me through you to make his very particular compliments 
to General Washington, of whose virtues and talents I have the pleasure to 
find he has the highest opinion." 

William Knox soon afterward became subject to occasional fits of derange- 
ment, and died about 1797. 

24 



186 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 



"July 19. 
" Uinecl with General Knox ; about forty-four gentlemen, officers 
of the late continental army, and among them Baron Steuben. 
General Knox gave us an entertainment in the style of a prince. 
Every gentleman at the table was of the ' Cincinnati ' except my- 
self, and wore his appropriate badge." 

Mrs. William S. Smith writes from New York in 1788 
to her mother, Mrs. John Adams: — 

" General and Mrs. Knox have been very polite and attentive 
to us. Mrs. Knox is much altered from the character she used 
to have. She is neat in her dress, attentive to her family, and very 
fond of her children. But her size is enormous : I am frightened 
when I look at her ; I verily believe that her waist is as large as 
three of yours at least. The general is not half so fat as he was." 

From Griswold's " Republican Court " we take the fol- 
lowing : — 

" Mrs. Knox had been one of the heroines of the Revolution, 
nearly as well known in the camp as her husband. She and her 
husband were, perhaps, the largest couple in the city, and Ijoth were 
favorites, he for really brilliant conversation and unfaiHng good 
humor, and she as a lively and meddlesome but amiable leader of 
society, without whose co-operation it was believed by many be- 
sides herself that nothing could be properly done in the drawing- 
room or the ball-room, or any place indeed where fashionable men 
and women sought enjoyment. The house of the Secretary was in 
Broadway, and it was the scene of a liberal and genial hospitality." 

Upon the formation of the new government in May, 
1789, Knox was continued in his post of War Secretary 
by Washington.* " To his past services and an unques- 
tioned integrity," says Judge Marshall, " he was admitted 
to unite a sound understanding ; and the public judgment 
as well as that of the chief magistrate pronounced him in 

* His commission bears date Sept. 12, 1789. 



PLAN FOR A MILITIA. 187 

all respects competent to the station he filled." One of 
his first acts was to provide for his friend, General Lin- 
coln, to whom, on August 4, he wrote as follows : " Al- 
though I do not conceive the office of Collector to the 
Port of Boston adequate to the merits of m}' friend, yet, 
as it is the best thing that can be offered at present, I 
sincerely congratulate you on the apj)ointment." 

The framing of a militia sj^stem for the country received 
the early attention of the Secretary. He had, in April, 1783, 
communicated to Washington his ideas upon this subject, to 
the effect that there should be a uniform system and annual 
encampments ; each State to have an arsenal and a suffi- 
cient quantity of arms and ammunition ; that the United 
States should have some troops for the security of the 
frontiers, and at West Point, " the key to America, which 
has been so advantageous in the defence of the United 
States, and is still so important in that view, as well as of 
preserving the Union ; " that a complete system of military 
education should be formed and adopted ; that there 
should be three military academies where the United States 
arsenals are, — one in the Northern, one in the Middle, and 
one in the Southern States ; and that a code of military 
laws should be framed and inspectors ajjpointed by Con- 
gress, who should annually examine the academies and 
report to Congress. 

Knox's " Plan for the General Arrangement of the 
Militia of the United States," reported to Congress 18 
March, 1786, provided for the embodiment of all male 
citizens from eighteen to sixty, into three classes, — " The 
Advanced Corps," " The Main Corps," and " The Re- 
served Corps ; " the form to be that of the legion ; each 
legion to consist of 153 commissioned officers and 2,880 
non-commissioned officers and privates, and to be com- 
manded by a major-general. The failure of this plan is 



188 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

partly attributable to the unpropitious circumstances of 
tbe times. 

Of that prepared b}^ him in January, 1790, similar in its 
general features to the preceding one, his friend. General 
Lincoln, gave him, at his request, this opinion : — 

" Though it would make ours the strongest militia in the world, 
the people will not adopt it here, if I know Massachusetts. The ex- 
pense, i")ay of officers, no pay of men, the burden on masters, calling 
the youth indiscriminately, disfranchisement for a time in certain 
cases, officers excluded from actual service, subjection to a draft for 
a service of three years, &c., will be magnified here, and damn the 
bill." 

Colonel Jackson also informed him that his plan was not 
very well received in Massachusetts. The opinion of mili- 
tary men abroad seems to have been favorable to Knox's 
plan, as is seen in this extract from a letter from General 
Miranda, the South American patriot, whose acquaintance 
he had made in Boston in 1784 : * — 

"London, Feb. 2, 17^1. 

" I thank you for your estimable letter of the 6th September, 1790, 
that your brother delivered to me here. I am very happy to see 
the flourishing state to which North America is grown, and wish 
that my own poor miserable country in the South could say the 
same. They can only answer : — 

' Video mellora provoqtce, deteriora sequor.^ 

" I have seen with great pleasure your plan for the establishment 
of a militia, &c. General Melville, and some other professional men 
here that have considered the same subject, admired it very much ; 
and I perfectly agree with you, that the form of the Roman Legion 

* Francisco de Miranda was born in Caracas about 1750. He travelled on 
foot through a great part of America and Europe ; was a general of division 
under Dumouriez, in 1792-93 ; was afterward engaged in abortive attempts 
to shake off the Spanish yoke from his native province, and having been 
betrayed by Bolivar to the Spaniards ended his days in a dungeon at Cadiz, 
in 1816. 



INDIAN AFFAIRS. 189 

is infinitely superior to any other organization or military arrange- 
ment we know yet." 

The legionary formation was for a time adopted as the 
regular establishment of the United States; but the jilan 
for the militia, though it had the approval of Washington, 
was not regarded with favor, and a system less onerous as 
well as less energetic was at length adopted. 

The policy to be pursued towards the various Indian 
tribes of the United States demanded a largfe share of 
Knox's attention, and in it he was guided by enlarged and 
liberal views. In the minutes which he furnished for the 
President's speech, in October, 1791, he advocates an impar- 
tial administration of justice towards them, suggests that the 
mode of alienating their lands should be properly defined 
and regulated, and that the advantages of commerce and 
the blessings of civilization should be extended to them ; 
and that proper penalties should be provided for such law- 
less persons as shall violate the treaties with them. " A 
system," he goes on to say, " producing the free operation 
of the mild principles of religion and benevolence towards 
an unenlightened race of men would at once be highly 
economical and honorable to the national character." 

A treaty with the Creek Nation of Indians was signed 
on Aug. 7, 1790, by Knox, as sole commissioner, in behalf 
of the United States ; and by Alexander McGillivray and 
twenty-three chiefs, in behalf of the Creek nation, by 
whom an extensive territory claimed by Georgia was re- 
linquished to that State. McGillivray was at the same 
time commissioned a brigadier-general in the army of the 
United States. 

The unsuccessful expeditions of Harmar in 1790, and 
of St. Clair in 1791, against the North-western Indians, 
were followed, in 1794, by the victorious campaign of 
Wayne, and by the treaty of GreenviUe in August, 1795, 



190 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

by which peace was established, and the post of Detroit, 
together with a considerable tract of land, ceded to the 
United States. 

The friends of Jefferson then Secretary of State, and 
the partisans of the French Kevolution, assailed with malig- 
nant hostility the administration of Washington ; and Knox 
as its firm supporter, and while the operations against the 
Indians were yet unsuccessful, came in for a large share of 
vituperation and calumny. Among the many ardent and 
devoted friends of Knox was Major Samuel Shaw, a fel- 
low-townsman, and his aide and secretary during the war, 
and who was deservedly held by him in the highest esteem. 
"When Major Shaw returned [from a foreign voyage], 
in 1792," says his biographer, Hon. Josiah Quincy, " and 
witnessed the assaults party spirit was making upon his 
early patron and constant friend, a man he so loved and 
respected, his indignation, heightened by the sentiment of 
gratitude, was irrepressible, and on April 15th he wrote 
Knox as follows : — 

" What shall we say, my clear friend, to a certain publication, 
which, under the title of ' Strictures, Sfc.,' fabricated in Boston, is 
now circulating here, and no doubt has made its appearance with 
you ? The shameful violation of decency and truth, the virulence 
and rancor of his remarks on the Secretary at War, show the 
wickedness and malice of the author of this production in such 
glowing colors, as must expose him to general contempt and de- 
testation. Hapj^y must you feel, — thrice happy am I in the re- 
flection, — that so long as the American name shall last, yours will be 
handed down with distinction in the list of the ' valued file ; ' and the 
artillery, which formed under your auspices equalled every exigence 
of war, will ever be regarded as the child of your genius. Well do 
I remember the honorable testimony of the gallant La Fayette 
amidst the thunder of our batteries on the lines at Yorktown. ' We 
fire,' exclaimed he, with a charming enthusiasm, ' better than the 
French' (and faith we did too). To this I made a suitable objec- 
tion. His reply was, — ' Upon honor, I speak the truth ; and the 



PROPOSES TO RETIRE. 191 

progress of your artillery is regarded by everybody as one of the 
wonders of the Ixevolution.' Shame, then, to this infamous scrib- 
bler ! and let his heart burst under the idea that your country has 
derived the most substantial benefit from your services ; that the 
good and wise acknowledge your merit ; and that Humphreys was 
not less just than poetical in characterizing by a single line the man 
to whose abilities he had been witness in the various events of a long 
and trying war : — 

'Ere Steuben brought the Prussian lore from far, 
And Knox created all the stores of war.' " 

Under date of May 10, 1794, Knox writes to Jackson : — 

..." I am extremely anxious that it * should be completed in 
the course of the year, although I have fears that I shall not be able 
to go there this summer. The new corps of artillery, the frigates, 
the fortifications, — all new business added to my former employ- 
ments, together with the incessant ajiplication indispensably required 
by the political state of affairs in which I have more share than I 
am well qualified for, — form to a cloud which almost obscures my 
prospect of getting away in any thing like due season. I cannot 
leave my situation in this critical state of affairs. The services of 
my whole political life would serve, in the opinion of those who I 
esteem, in no degree to form a counterbalance to my quitting at 
tills crisis. I therefore must stay until the storm shall have passed, 
or I be wrecked in the general catastrophe threatened by various 
causes. 

" You mention the commissary of military stores. This office 
Mr. Hodgdon has been possessed of in a different shajie for several 
years, and has it now. I should hope something may occur which 
would be agreeable to you ; but my own opinion is, that neither you 
nor I ought to be in public life, but [should] make some exertions 
whereby we may better our fortunes. Whether I shall ever have 

* Alluding to his mansion-house at Thomaston, begun in 1793, and fin- 
ished tlie next year, at a cost of not far from §15,000. Local tradition, usually 
unreliable, has greatly exaggerated this, as well as otlier facts connected with 
the mansion and its occupants. For instance, it said, among other things, 
tliat the house cost §50,000 ; that one hundred beds were made, an ox and 
twenty sheep often slaughtered in a week ; and that twenty saddle horses 
and corresponding carriages were kept to accommodate guests and sojourners. 



192 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

sufficient time to lay a practical scheme for such an undertaking I 
cannot tell, but certainly not while I remain in public life." 

Knox succeeded in procuring for his old friend the ap- 
pointment of United States naval agent, and, as such, he 
superintended the building of the " Constitution," one of 
the six frigates the construction of which was ordered by 
the Act of 27 March, 1794. 

The outrages of the pirates of the Mediterranean on 
the persons and property of our citizens, together with the 
importance of providing defences for our extensive sea- 
board, forcibly impressed Knox's mind with the necessity 
of a naval force. Jefferson and himself were the only sup- 
porters in the cabinet of the establishment of a nav}", but 
his endeavors were at length carried into effect by his san- 
guine confidence in its success and his strenuous efforts for 
its accomplishment. The result soon vindicated the wis- 
dom of the measure, and our navy has ever since been 
identified with the glory and prosperity of the country. 
Knox performed the duties of both departments with equal 
zeal and ability until the imperious claims of private in- 
terest compelled him to turn his attention to the long- 
neglected concerns of his family. 

The expenses of his open hospitality far exceeded the 
limited compensation of his office, and he had for some 
time been determined to retire from public life. As early 
as in September, 1792, writing to his daughter Lucy re- 
specting this subject, he says : — 

" Having arrived, or nearly so, at the summit of human age and 
vigor, and being ere long to slope my down-hill course, objects 
appear exceedingly different to my view from what they used to 
do in my ascent. . . . All my life hitherto I have been pursuing 
illusive bubbles which burst on being grasped, and "tis high time I 
should quit public life and attend to the solid interests of my family, 
so that they may not be left dependent on the cold hand of charity ; 



RESIGNS THE SECRETARYSHIP OF WAR. 193 

and in order to retire with reputation, it was indispensably neces- 
sary that I should not aftbrd subject for calumny to feed upon, by 
neglecting for a moment the services belonging to my station. I 
wish for ease, but in order to enjoy it I must make some exertions 
for pecuniary objects." 

The President had expressed a desire that he would re- 
main with him till the close of his own official career, and 
had from time to time induced him to continue, but at 
length reluctantly accepted his resignation. The follow- 
ing correspondence ensued : — 

KNOX TO WASHINGTON. 

"Philadelphia, 28 Dec. 1794. 

"Sir, — In pursuance of the verbal communications heretofore 
submitted, it is with the utmost respect that I beg leave officially to 
request you will please to consider that, after the last day of the 
present month and year, my services as Secretary for the Depart- 
ment of War will cease. 

" I have endeavored to place the business of the department in 
such a train that my successor may without much difficulty com- 
mence the duties of his station. Any explanations or assistance 
which he may require shall be cordially afforded by me. 

" After having served my country nearly twenty years, the 
greatest portion of which under your immediate auspices, it is with 
extreme reluctance I find myself constrained to withdraw from so 
honorable a situation. 

" But the indispensable claims of a wife and a growing and 
numerous family of children, whose sole hopes of comfortable com- 
petence rest upon my life and exertions, will no longer permit me 
to neglect duties so sacred. 

" But, in whatever situation I shall be, I shall recollect your con- 
fidence and kindness with all the fervor and purity of affection of 
which a grateful heart can be susceptible." 

25 



194 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 



WASHINGTON TO KNOX. 

"Philadelphia, Dec. 30, 1794. 

'* Sir, — The considerations which you have often suggested to 
me, and are repeated in your letter of the 28th instant, as requiring 
your departure from 3^our present office, are such as to prechide the 
possibility of my urging your continuance in it. 

" This being the case, I can oidy wish that it was otherwise. 
I cannot suffer you, however, to close your public service without 
uniting, with the satisfaction which must arise in your own mind 
from a conscious rectitude, my most perfect persuasion that you 
have deserved well of your country. My personal knowledge of your 
exertions, while it authorizes me to hold this language, justifies the 
sincere friendship which I have ever borne for you, and which will 
accompany you in every situation of life. Being, with affectionate 
regard, Always yours." 

Leaving Philadelphia on June 1, 1795, he visited his 
native town, where, on the 12th, he was invited to a pub- 
lic dinner by his friends and fellow-citizens. Continuing 
his journey, he was publicly welcomed on the 22d by the 
people of Thomaston, where he had fixed his future resi- 
dence. He at once applied himself to the cultivation and 
improvement of an extensive tract of land in the then dis- 
trict of Maine, called the Muscongus or Waldo j^atent, 
part of which Mrs. Knox inherited from her grandfather, 
General Waldo, and the residue of which he had bought of 
the other heirs. It lay between the Kennebec and Penob- 
scot rivers, included those of Muscongus and St. George, 
and comprised a large portion of what are now the counties 
of Lincoln, Waldo, and Penobscot. As much of this land 
was in the possession of squatters, it was a task of no little 
difficulty to quiet their pretensions ; but his firm yet con- 
ciliatory course eventually overcame all obstacles. His 
hberality and beneficence, together with the improvements 



EESIDENCE AT MONTPELIER. 195 

which he suggested and carried into eifect, soon rendered 
his residence among them a blessing felt and acknowledged 
by all. 

Prior to his removal, a splendid mansion had been 
erected at the head of St. George's River, having a de- 
lightful prospect in front, extending eight or ten miles 
down that river ; and in this charming spot, to which he 
gave the name of Montpelier,* in the society of his wife 
and children, and of the distinguished visitors who from 
time to time enjoyed his hospitality, Knox enjoyed a larger 
share of happiness than he had probably ever known 
before. His wife, who was truly his congenial spirit, was 
also well satisfied to retire from scenes of gayety and 
fashion to the privacy of domestic life and the loved society 
of her children. She is described as having been, even in 
her latter days, when upwards of sixty, a remarkably fine- 
looking woman, with brilliant black eyes, and a blooming 
complexion. Her style of dress, which was somewhat 
peculiar, and her dignified manners, gave her the appear-' 
ance of being taller than she really was. 

" Mrs. Knox," says the Duke de la Rochefoucauld 
Liancourt, " is a lady of whom you conceive a still higher 
opinion the longer you are acquainted with her. Seeing 
her in Philadelphia, you think of her only as a fortunate 
player at whist ; at her house in the country you discover 
that she possesses sprightliness, knowledge, a good heart, 
and an excellent understanding." Of her daughter (after- 
ward Mrs. Thatcher), he says, that " at their house in 
Maine she lays aside her excessive timidity, and you 
admire alike her beauty, wit, and cheerfulness ; " and of 
the General, " he is one of the worthiest men I have ever 
known : lively, agreeable ; valuable equally as an excel- 

* Tliis elegant residence is no longer standing, and its site is now occu- 
pied by the station of the Knox and Lincoln Railway. 



196 LITE OF HENRY KNOX. 

lent friend and as an engaging companion." Among liis 
distinguished guests were Senator Bingham and his family, 
and several French refugees of celebrity, such as Louis 
Phillipe, Talleyrand, the Count de Beaumetz, and the 
Duke de Liancourt. The latter, whose wardrobe was re- 
plenished by the munificence of Knox, is said to have ex- 
claimed despondingly one day wliile here, as he struck his 
forehead with his hand, " I have three dukedoms on my 
head, and not one whole coat on my back." Knox wrote 
him as follows from Boston, in July, 1797, and the duke 
responded by again visiting him the next September : — 

" My dear Duke, — I have received with peculiar sensibility 
your kind letter of the 2d of this month. Under every vicissitude 
of human affairs I shall love and esteem you as a brother. You 
are not truly informed of my having a hatred for the French nation. 
Their great qualities of gallantry and magnanimity are above, far 
above, my eulogy. But as it relates to this country, they are acting 
under a mistaken impression of our being attached to the British 
nation. I hope time and better information will lessen the resent- 
ment of France against this country : it cannot be for their happi- 
ness or ours that we should quarrel. ... I have been detained here 
by a variety of circumstances until this time, but more particularly 
in attending our legislature, who have unintentionally wronged me 
out of nearly 40,000 acres of my best land high up Penobscot River. 
I have succeeded with one branch, but could not quite succeed with 
the other ; but I shall finish the affair next session. I shall go [to 
St. George's] in five days. My affairs there flourish, but want my 
presence there for the summer. I cannot express how delighted 
and charmed I should be by having the happiness of receiving you 
there." 

Knox entered largely into brickmaking, and the manu- 
facture of lime and lumber, and also carried on an exten- 
sive mercantile business under the management of Captain 
Thomas Vose, a gallant officer of artillery, at first as clerk, 
and afterward as partner. These and other varied indus- 



PECUNIARY TROUBLES. 197 

tries which he carried on brought to the place and gave 
employment to large numbers of mechanics and other emi- 
grants, who became permanent residents of Thomaston, 
and who stimulated the growth of the town. He also 
attempted to introduce improved breeds of cattle and 
sheep ; and as early as 1796 undertook the business of 
ship-building, and several coasters were launched and kept 
running in his employ. To facilitate his lumber opera- 
tions, Knox purchased the right to improve the navigation 
of George's River, and completed locks of sufficient capac- 
ity for the passage of rafts and gondolas at the several 
falls in Warren, opening the navigation of the river as far 
up as the mills in Union. His jDlans and projects of im- 
provement were more suited to his exjjansive mind than 
to his actual resources, he being for the most part of the 
time while there greatly embarrassed by want of money ; 
and they consequently resulted more advantageously to 
others than to himself. These pecuniary troubles culmi- 
nated in 1798, and caused for a short time some distress to 
his indorsers. Generals Lincoln and Jackson, who were, how- 
ever, amply secured from loss by assignments of valuable 
land. A few extracts from his later letters will afford some 
glimpses of passing events, and of his domestic life and 
feelings. Thus to his friend Jackson, under date of July 
9, 1795, only a few days after his arrival at St. George's, 
he writes, " We had a small company on the 4th of July 
of upwards of five hundred people ! " On this occasion 
a general invitation had been given to the people of the 
town and neighboring settlements to inspect the General's 
mansion and partake of its hospitalities. Tables were set 
in the piazzas, and " the house and grounds were vocal 
with music and conversation." 

To AVashington, under date of Boston, 15 January, 1797, 
he writes : — 



198 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

..." The loss of two lovely children on which you condole in your 
letter has been recently renewed and increased by the death of our 
son [Washington], of seven years old. Unfortunate, indeed, have 
we been in the loss of eight children, requiring the exercise of our 
whole stock of philosophj^ and religion. 

"■ We have lately come from St. George's to pass the winter in 
this town. Indeed, this is our general plan : we may, however, as 
we grow older, find it inconvenient. We are distant about two 
hundred miles by land, which we may easily ride in six days when 
the snow is on the ground ; or with wheels, with a very little im- 
provement of a small part of the road. I am beginning to experi- 
ence the good effects of my residence upon my lands. I may truly 
say that it is more than doubled in its value since I determined to 
make it my home. The only inconvenience we experience is the 
want of society : this will probably lessen daily. Our communica- 
tion by water to this town is constant and cheap. We can obtain 
transportation here cheaper than the same article can be carted from 
my store to the vessel. This egotism would require an apology to 
any other than you." 

His last letter to Washington is dated 22d December, 
17U1), eight daj'^s after that illustrious man had breathed his 
last : — 

" I am here [Thomaston], and should be more hapi)y in my 
pursuits than I have ever been, were some embarrassments entirely 
dissipated. But this will require time. My estate with indulgence 
is competent, and greatly more, to the discharge of every cent I owe. 
All who are here unite with me in presenting to Mrs. Washington 
our affectionate remembrance. I may not wish you the greatest 
blessing by wishing you a long life, because I believe that while you 
continue here you are detained from a much better condition. But 
I pi-ay fervently that your days on earth may be days of felicity, 
without clouds, sickness, or sorrow." 

TO GENERAL DAVID COBB. 

"MoNxrEHER, 22 March, 1800. 
" Returning from Boston on the 1 4th, I found your letter. I per- 
ceive no cause of regret at the dejiarture of our old chief. He 



BRIGHTER PROSPECTS. 199 

exhibited a most glorious setting sun ; and the people of the United 
States have exhibited human nature in its brilliant attitudes by their 
gratitude. His death and the testimonials of respect will be an 
excellent stimulus to future patriotism. . . . 

" You mention that your spirits are not good. For God's sake 
bear up against the devil of Gloom. Put yourself in motion. 
Visit even me if you can find nothing better. Get Willich, a new- 
author on diet and regimen ; but, above all, get — on horseback. 

" I was in Boston twelve days. My affiiirs progress well. I shall 
have bright days yet. My daughter had been there for two months. 
She returned with me. Mrs. K. and Caroline stayed at home, 
wdiich to me is, after all, the most agreeable place, provided I had 
you and a few other friends near me. 

" Bonaparte, what a glorious fellow ! how completely he has 
averted the monster anarchy and mad democracy ! I hope in God 
that no fanatic will assassinate him, which is to be dreaded." 

TO MRS. KNOX AT BOSTON. 

" MoNTPELiER, 20 Nov. 1801. 

" Whether your not getting a house is good or bad, I will not 
determine. With my habits, a lodging-house will be execrable, and 
yet feelings must give way to judgment. In either case we must be 
economists. Although our prospects will be greatly brightened by 
the revolution of our settlers, yet very little ready money at present. 
Therefore prenez (jarde as to expenses. Although the throng of 
our visitors have passed, yet we generally have eight or ten per day, 
and commonly from five to ten at night. Our son * is a cause of 
infinite solicitude. He is not here, nor have I received a line from 
him. At present the proposition of sending him to the East Indies 
or Canton appears like giving him a passport to eternity or to in- 
finite misery." 

Upon the declaration of war with France, in 1798, under 
the Presidency of John Adams, Washington, who was ap- 

* Henry Jackson Knox, his only surviving son, was a niitlsliiiinian in the 
navy in 1798-1800. He was nominated as a lieutenant by President Adams 
in June, 1799, but was not confirmed by the Senate. 



200 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

pointed lieutenant-general, named as his seconds Hanailton, 
C. C. Pinckney, and Knox, in the order mentioned. The 
latter was greatly mortified at being placed after those 
who, during the war, had been his juniors in rank, and 
declined to serve. He wrote to Washington a remon- 
strance, which the latter sent to Hamilton, with a letter, 
delicatel}^ intimating a disposition favorable to Knox. 
Hamilton, in rej^l}^, reluctantly acquiesced in " any ar- 
rangement which Washington might deem for the general 
good ; " and at a later period endeavored, in a letter to 
Knox, from which we make an extract, to throw the re- 
sponsibility upon others. Warm-hearted and placable, 
Knox cherished no animosity against him, and when he 
heard of his death broke out into violent and uncontrol- 
lable emotion. 

HAMILTON TO KNOX. 

" Nkvv York, March 14, 1799. 
" My judgment tells me I ought to be silent on a certain subject, 
but my lieart advises otherwise, and my heart has always been the 
master of my judgment. Believe me, I have felt much pain at the 
idea that any circumstance personal to me should have deprived 
the public of your services or occasioned to you the smallest dis- 
satisfaction. Be persuaded, also, that the views of others, not my 
own, have given shape to wdiat has taken place, and that there has 
been a serious struggle between my respect and attachment for you 
and the impression of duty. This sounds, I know, like affectation, 
but it is nevertheless the truth. In a case in which such great 
public interests were concerned, it seemed to me the dictate of 
reason and propriety not to exercise an opinion of my own, but to 
leave that of others who would influence the issue to take a free 
course. In saying this much, my only motive is to preserve, if I 
may, a claim on your friendly disposition towards me, and to give 
you some evidence that my regard for you is unabated." 

Neither the absorbing nature of his private affairs nor 
the pecuniary and other obstacles which constantly im- 



PUBLIC DUTIES. — DEATH. 201 

peeled liis extensive plans for the improvement and set- 
tlement of the conntry aronnd him, could prevent his 
performance of those public duties which his fellow-citi- 
zens from time to time imj^osed upon him. We find him 
appointed, April 6, 1796, a commissioner for the United 
States for settling the Eastern boundary on the true river 
St. Croix ; from the year 1801 a member of the General 
Court; and on June 2, 180-1, he was appointed one of the 
council of Governor Strong, by whom he was much con- 
sulted in important affairs, and like whom he was inde- 
pendent and firm in political sentiment, while at the same 
time conciliatory and tolerant. 

General Knox was exceedingly fond of the society of 
men of learning, talent, and wit, and had an extensive 
correspondence with many of the eminent men of his time 
both in Europe and America. At the time of his decease 
he had a handsome collection of not less than 1,585 vol- 
umes, 364 of which were in the French language. Next 
to that of Benjamin Vaughan, Esq., of Hallowell, his was 
the largest and best private library in the district of Maine- 
He received the honorar}^ degree of Master of Arts, from 
Dartmouth College, in 1793 ; and 16 December, 1805, was 
made a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and 
Sciences. 

We come now to the close of the career of this truly 
noble and estimable man. Had he been permitted to at- 
tain the usual age of man, which his vigorous constitu- 
tion seemed to render probable, the cloud that rested upon 
the latter part of his life would undoubtedly have been 
dispelled ; and the rise in the value of his property would 
have enabled him to realize all his anticipations, and to 
have left his family in opulence. It was otherwise or- 
dained. A sudden and unlooked-for accident cut him off 
in the midst of his usefulness, to the sincere regret of all 

26 



202 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

who knew him. His neighbors mourned his loss as a 
pubhc benefactor ; but to his immediate family the stroke 
was unexpected and overwhelming. 

The event occurred on Saturday, Oct. 25, 1806, after 
an illness of a few days. It was occasioned by his ha^^ng 
swallowed a chicken bone, which caused a mortification, 
and was from its nature incurable. He was entombed 
on the following Tuesday with military honors, amid the 
largest concourse of citizens ever seen in that vicinity, and 
a eulogy was pronounced by the Hon. Samuel Thatcher. 
The House of Representatives of Massachusetts, on Jan. 
10, 1807, unanimously passed resolutions of respect to his 
memory, which, with a letter of condolence from the 
speaker, Hon. Perez IMorton, was sent to the widow. 

Mrs. Knox died June 20, 1824. Out of twelve chil- 
dren, nine of whom died in childhood or infancy, only 
three survived their father : Lucy F., b. 1776, d. 12 Oct. 
1854, who m. Ebenezer Thatcher (H. U. 1798) ; Henry 
JacTcson, b. 24 May, 1780, d. Thomaston, Me., 1830 ; and 
Caroline, who m., 1st, James Swan, of Dorchester; 2d, 
Hon. John Holmes, of Maine. Both the latter died. with- 
out issue. The surviving children of Mrs. Thatcher are 
Admiral Henry Knox Thatcher, and Caroline F., widow 
of Benjamin Smith, of Newburg, N.Y. 

The personal and mental characteristics of General Knox 
are thus described l)y William Sullivan in his " Familiar 
Letters:" — 

" He was a large, full man, above middle stature ; his lower limbs 
inclined a very little outward, so that in walking his feet were nearly 
parallel. His hair was short in front, standing up, and powdered 
and queued. His forehead was low ; his face, large and full below ; 
his eyes, rather small, gray, and brilliant. The expression of his 
face altogether was a very fine one. 

" When moving along the street, he had an air of grandeur and 



PERSONAL HABITS AND TRAITS. 203 

self-complacency, but it wounded no man's self-love. He carried a 
large cane, not to aid his steps, but usually under his arm ; and 
sometimes, when he happened to stop and engage in conversation 
with his accustomed ardor, his cane was used to flourish with, in aid 
of his eloquence. He was usually dressed in black. In the summer, 
he commonly carried his light silk hat in his hand when walking in 
the shade. When engaged in conversation, he used to unwind and 
replace the black silk handkerchief which he wore wrapped around 
his mutilated hand, but not so as to show its disfigurement. 

" When thinking, he looked like one of his own heavy pieces, 
which would surely do execution when discharged ; when speaking, 
his face had a nobld expression, and was capable of displaying the 
most benignant feeling. This was the true character of his heart. 
His voice was strong, and no one could hear it without feeling that 
it had been accustomed to command. The mind of Knox was 
powerful, rapid, and decisive, and he could employ it continuously 
and effectively. His natural propensity was highly social, and no 
man better enjoyed a hearty laugh. 

" He had a brilliant imagination, and no less brilliant modes of 
expression. His conceptions of the power and glory of the Creator 
of the universe were of an exalted character. The immortality of 
the soul was not with him a matter of induction, but a sentiment or 
fact, no more to be questioned than his own earthly existence. He 
said that he had through life left his bed at the dawn, and had been 
always a cheerful, happy man." 

Says Thacher in his " Military Journal," in speaking of 
Knox : — 

" Long vfiW he be remembered as the ornament of every circle 
in which he moved, as the amiable and enlightened companion, the 
generous friend, the man of feeling and benevolence. His conver- 
sation was animated and cheerful, and he imparted an interest to 
every subject that he touched. In his gayest moments he never 
lost sight of dignity ; he invited confidence, but repelled familiarity. 
His conceptions were lofty, and no man ever possessed the power 
oY embodying his thoughts in more vigorous language : when ar- 
dently engaged, they were peculiarly bold and original, and you 
inevitably felt in his society that his intellect was not of the ordinary 



204 LIFE OF HENRY KNOX. 

class ; yet no man was more unassuming, none more delicately alive 
to the feelings of others. He had the peculiar talent of rendering 
all who were with him happy in themselves, and no one ever more 
feelingly enjoyed the happiness of those around him. His feelings 
were strong and exquisitely tender. In the domestic circle they 
shone with peculiar lustre ; and if at any time a cloud overshadowed 
his own spirit, he strove to prevent its influence from extending to 
those that were dear to him. He was frank, generous, and sincere, 
and in his intercourse with the world uniformly just." 

" The conversation of General Knox," says another 
writer, " was itself a feast. He was affable without 
famiharity, dignified without parade, unposing without ar- 
rogance." 

His features were regular, his Grecian nose prominent, 
his complexion florid, liis hair naturally dark, and his e3es 
sharp and penetrating, seldom failing to recognize a coun- 
tenance they had once rested upon. His frame was well 
proportioned and muscular, inclining to corpulency; and 
while at West Point, in August, 1783, he weighed 280 
pounds. 

A firm l)eliever in the truths of Christianity, and a lil)- 
eral supporter of its institutions, he regarded the future 
as a progressive state of existence, and held in slight 
esteem the distinctions of creeds and sects; "for," says 
Dr. Thacher, " his charity was as diffusive as the globe, 
and extensive as the family of man." He could hear 
others praised without envy, and delighted to enumerate 
the good qualities of men in public life. 

His public spirit was displayed by encouraging schools, 
locating and repairing roads, promoting the erection of a 
place of public religious worship, and by exciting an at- 
tention to agriculture among his neighbors. He gave the 
piece of land which is now the principal cemetery in 
Thomaston ; a large pulpit Bible, still in use by the Con- 



CONCLUSION. 205 

gregational Church there ; and the first bell that ever 
called together the worshippers of that town, and which 
is still hanging in the First Baptist Church. 

Of his numerous private charities we record but one. 
On June 23, 1797, he drew up and headed with iifty 
dollars a subscription for the daughters of the French ad- 
mh-al, Count de Grasse, who had been driven from their 
estates in the West Indies, and who were then in Boston 
in a state of destitution. It must be borne in mind that 
at this time he was himself in great distress for money. 

We have thus sketched, briefly and imperfectly it is 
true, the principal events and the leading characteristics in 
a career well worthy the study and imitation of mankind. 
One of its lessons is so especially applicable to our own 
times, that we commend it to those of our countrymen 
occupying stations of public trust. It is found in the letter 
to his brother WilHam (^ante, p. 61), in which he says : 
" You know my sentiments with respect to making any 
thing out of the public : I abominate the idea. I could not 
[otherwise], at the end of the war, mix with my fellow- 
citizens with that conscious integrity, the felicity of which 
I often anticipate." 

Many have been as courageous in the field, many as wise 
and patriotic in council, but few have united to these the 
still rarer virtues, a spotless integrity, and a noble out- 
spoken manliness of character, in a higher degree than 
the subject of this brief memoir. 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES 



MEMBERS OF THE MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY 
OF THE CINCINNATI. 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 



Josiai) SliJiJOtt-* 

He was of Andover; was com. ensign 10 Oct. 1781 ; and 
was in Sprout's (2d) reg. in 1783. He is probably the 
person of the name b. in Andover 29 Dec. 1759, who d. 
Lemington, Vt., Feb. 1837. 

He was b. Andover, Mass., 12 Aug. 1749; d. Salem, 
9 Aug. 1813 ; Avas a lieut. in Farnum's Co. of Col. Eben. 
Francis's reg. at Bennington, Vt., 16 Fel). 1777 ; was com. 
captain 28 May, 1778, in Tupper's (11th) reg. ; in M. 
Jackson's (8th) reg. 1781-83 ; and was maj.-gen. 2d div. 
of Mass. militia, 1797-1801. After the war he became a 
merchant in Salem, and was a humane, honest, and useful 
citizen. Succeeded by his grandson, Stephen Abbott 
Chase. 

The descent of Capt. Abbott from George^ Abbot, who came from 
Yorkshire about 1640, settled in Andover in 1643, and d. Dec. 
1681, was through his eldest son John^- b. 2 March, 1648, d. 19 
March, 1721, who m. Sarah, dau. of Richard Barker; Stephen^ 
b. 16 Mar. 1678, d. 27 May, 1766, and Sarah, dau. of Ephraim 
Stevens; and Stephen* (his father), b. 1709, d. Nov. 1768, and 
Mary, dau. of George Abbot. Capt. Abbott, by his second wife, 
Mary Badger, had — 

Polly, who m. Abijah Chase, Salem, and had Stephen Abbott. 

Betsey, b. 4 Nov. 1778, m. Henry Chase, Salem. 

Hannah, b. 8 Nov. 1780, m. John Sneathing, Salem. 

* Tlie names of original members are in black letter. 
27 



V 



210 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

He was b. Roxbuiy, Mass., 29 June, 1758, d. Peekskill, 
N.Y., June, 1793 ; H. U. 1775 ; surgeon's mate in Wesson's 
(9th) reg. 1777-80; com. surgeon 11 May, 1781 ; in Tup- 
per's (6th) reg. 1783. 

His descent from Henry ^ Adams, who d. in Braintree, Mass., 
Oct. 1646, was through Henry^^ b. 1604, killed in Medfield by the 
Indians 25 Feb. 1G75-6, and Elizabeth Paine, killed by accident in 
1676; Henry^ b. Medfield 19 Nov. 1657, and Prudence, dau. of 
John Frary ; Henry,* b. 1702, who m. Jemima, dau. of Hon. Joshua 
Morse, of Medfield; Rev. Amos^ (his father), b. Medfield 1 Sept. 
1728 ; H. U. 1752 ; settled pastor of the First Church, Roxbury, 
1753; d. Dorchester, 5 Oct. 1775; m. 18 Oct. 1753, Elizabeth, 
dau. of Dea. Henry Prentice. 

The other children of Rev. Amos were : Rev. Thomas, minister 
of Camden, S.C., who d. there 16 Aug. 1797; and Sarah, m. 6 
Oct. 1789, to Giles Richards of Boston, who left numerous de- 
scendants. 

Jutraij ^Itrrn. 

He was b. in Duxbury, Mass., 3 Oct. 1750, on the 
farm still occupied by a descendant of John Alden, the 
pilgrim, who settled there in 1631. At the commencement 
of the war he was an officer of the minute company in 
Duxbury, and also its clerk ; was com. ensign in Cotton's 
reg. in May, 1775 ; lieut. in Bailey's reg. in 1776 ; capt. in 
the same 1 Jan. 1777 ; served through the Avar, and at its 
close received the brevet of major. 

While at Roxbury, in Jan. 1776, he accompanied Col. 
Learned into Boston with a flag of truce. They were met 
at the enemy's outposts by some British officers, who in- 
quired the news from Quebec, and were informed by them 
of Montgomery's defeat. Alden inquired of a colonel why 
they did not come out and make the troops at Roxbury a 
visit. " Ah," replied he, " we should have to think of 
that some time first." 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 211 

He was dexterous in the use of arms, possessed a fine 
manly form and great physical strength, and was a skilful, 
brave, and prudent officer. Vice-President Mass. Soc. 
Cin. 1825-29 ; President from 1829 until his death, 12 Mar. 
1845. In 1780 he m. Welthea, dau. of Dea. Peleg Wads- 
worth, who d. 3 Mar. 1841, te. 81. 

His descent from Hon. John Alden} who m. Priscilla Mullins, 
and d. 12 Sept. 1686, ae. 87, was through Capt. Jonathan^ b. 1627, 
d. Feb. 1697, and Abigail Hallet; Col. John,^ b. 1680, d. 24 July, 
1739, and Hannah Briggs ; Col. Briggs * (his father), b. 8 June, 1723, 
d. 4 Oct. 1796, and Mercy Wadsworth. The children of Maj. 
Judah and Welthea Alden were — 

LuciNDA, 5 Dec. 1780, m. Ca2)t. Sylvanus Smith. 

John, 2 Nov. 1784, who inherited the old homestead, m. Mary 
Winsor, and had : 3fary, 28 Oct. 1811 ; John, 14 Apr. 1813, who 
m. a Brewster ; Henry, 3 Nov. 1815, who m. Sarah Ann Wood- 
ward. 

Briggs, 6 Oct. 1786. 

Mercy, 24 Sept. 1788, m. H. R. Packard, and d. 1840. 

Judah, 11 Aug. 1790, d. la Dec. 1792. 

Welthea, 13 Aug. 1792, m. Wm. James of Scituate. 

Hannah, 4 Jan. 1795, d. 1804. 

Judah, 9 June, 1797, d. 20 Apr. 1806. 

Mary Ann, 12 Mar. 1801. 

Samuel, 24 Jan. 1803, a physician of Bridgewater. 

He was b. New Gloucester, Me., 29 Aug. 1759 ; was a 
lieut. and paym. in Marshall's (10th) reg. in 1777 ; 
com. capt. 12 Oct. 1782; in Brooks's (7th) reg. 1783. 
He resided in New Gloucester, Me., which he represented 
in the Me. legislature in 1800-2 ; and was a Justice of the 
Peace in Cumberland Co. from 1801 to his death in Sept. 
1819, at the Insane Asylum, Charlestown, Mass. 

His descent from Joseph,^ who came to Gloucester in 1674, d. 
6 Oct. 1724, ae. 71, who m. in 1680 Rachel Griggs, was through 



212 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Joseph:"- b. 1G81, d. 6 Apr. 1750, who m. Mary Coit ; Capt. Wil- 
liam^ (his father), b. 1717, an early settler of New Gloucester, who 
had 13 children. 

Of Tyringham, was a lieut. in Fellows's reg. at the siege 
of Boston, May, 1775 ; first lieut. in Asa Whitcomb's (6tli) 
reg. 1776 ; com. capt. 16 Oct. 1776 ; in Wigglesworth's, 
afterward Calvin Smith's (13th) reg. 1777-80 ; in Vose's 
(1st) reg. from 1781 until promoted major, and deranged 
1 Aug. 1782. He was a pensioner, living in Mass. in 1820, 
but d. soon after, as a son, Ezra, of Whiting, Vt., applied 
for admission to the Soc. in 1823. 

Jotijam ^mcs. 

He was b. Bridgewater, Mass., 15 Oct. 1743 ; was a 
sergt. from May to 31 Dec. 1775 in D. Lothrop's Co. of 
Bailey's (2d) reg. ; also in Jacob Allen's Co. of Cary's 
reg. in N. Y. 9 Aug. 1776 ; com. lieut. in Bailey's reg. 1 
/ Jan. 1777 ; and on the fall of his capt. (Jacob Allen), at 

Stillwater, took command of the company, and retained it 
until the peace. He resided in VV. Bridgewater until 
about 1802, when he removed to Middlefield, Otsego Co., 
N.Y., where he d. 9 May, 1812. He was twice m., but left 
no descendants. 

His descent from William ^ of Braintree, b. G Oct. 1 605, d. 1 1 Jan. 
1654, and Elizabeth Hay ward, was through John:" b. 24 Mar. 1647, 
d. W. Bridgewater 1726, and Sarah, dau. of Dea. John Willis; 
Capt. Thomas,'' b. 21 Feb. 1682, d. 3 Feb. 1737; Solomon^ (his 
father), b. 16 Jan. 1709, d. 12 July, 1745. 

He was com. 2d lieut. in Crane's artillery 1 Feb. 1777, 
1st lieut. 13 Sept. 1780 ; taken prisoner 1 June, 1779 at 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 213 

Fort La Fayette on the Hudson near Stony Point, and 
exchanged 19 Mar. 1781. He d. at Cambridgeport, 
Mass., 14 Mar. 1816, se. 67. A dan. Elizabeth Rush was 
living in Boston in 1850. 

Samuel ^rmstronfl. 

He was b. Boston 10 Aug. 1754, d. there 10 Dec. 1810. 
With his brother John and his father (Col. John), he was 
in the battles at Brooklyn and at Harlem, where the latter 
was killed. Com. ensign in M. Jackson's (8th) reg. 1 Jan., 
and lieut. 7 Oct. 1777 ; adjutant same reg. 1 June, 1778 
— 31 Dec. 1779 ; lieut. and paym. from 1 Jan. 1780 to 
the peace. He joined Maj. Dearborn's light infantry at 
Stillwater 12 Sept. 1777, and was in the battles with Bur- 
goyne, and endured the privations of Valley Forge. Assist. 
Sec. Mass. Soc. Cin. 1798-1806. 

He was the son of Col. John Armstrong and Christian Bass, who 
descended from John Bass and Ruth Alden. His brother, Capt. 
John, was the father of Lieut.-Gov. Samuel T. Armstrong. Six 
members of this family served in the war of 1812. By his wife 
Nancy, only dau. of Major Josiah Allen (b. 21 Sept. 17G5, d. 11 
Apr. 1829), he had 8 sons and 3 daughters. 

Samuel, who succ. to membersliip in the Soc. 

James, d. 28 July, 1848, leaving children. 

George W., b. Boston 22 Feb. 1792, d. 23 Mar. 1867. He was a 
lieut. 40th U. S. reg. in the war of 1812. 

Eliza Caroline. 

SAMUEL ARMSTRONG. 

Eldest son of Lieut. Samuel, b. Boston 5 Feb. 1786 ; app. 
ensign 4th U. S. inf. 15th April ; 2d lieut. Sept. 1812 ; 1st 
lieut. Mar. 1814 ; served in the battle of Tippecanoe, and 
was afterward successively aide to Generals Porter and 
Scott. He succ. to membership in 1811, and d. (unm.) 
in service at Governor's Island, 8 Sept. 1819. 



214 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 



SAMUEL FROST ARNOLD. 

Son of Thomas Arnold and Sally, eldest dan. of Capt. 
Samnel Frost, an original member, to whom he sncc. in 
1833. He was b. Framingham, Mass., 28 Jan. 1813, and 
d. 2 Nov. 1835. 

LEONARD ARNOLD. 

Brother of Samuel Frost Arnold, whom he succ. in 1841. 
He was b. in Framingham 21 July, 1817, resides in Somer- 
ville, and 25 Oct. 1842, m. Irene G. Clarke, by whom he 
had — 

Thomas Franklin (who' styles himself L. Fnink Arnold), b. 4 

Sept. 1845, merchant of Boston ; and 
Irene Adelaide, b. 19 Nov. 1850, d. June 21, 1854. 

He was b. Stockbridge, Mass., in 1751 ; grad. Yale Coll. 
1767 ; entered the army early in 1775 as a lieut. in Pater- 
son's reg. at the siege of Boston ; com. capt. (same reg.) 
5 Nov. 1775 ; in Vose's (1st) reg. from 1777 until promoted 
major 6 Jan. 1780, afterward in Putnam's (5th) reg. ; 
and retired from the service with reputation 1 Jan. 1783. 
He d. at Lee, Mass., 25 Aug. 1791, leaving a wife and 
three children. 

Joijn Austin. 

He was a conductor of military stores from 1 Jan. 1777 ; 
was com. 2d lieut. in Crane's artillery 17 May, 1780 ; and 
d. a few years after the war. 

THOMAS AUSTIN. 

Eldest brother of Lieut. John, whom he succ. in 1792 ; 
deceased. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 215 

He was b. Scituate, Mass., 27 Jan. 1749, soon after 
which his parents removed to West Bridgewater. His 
intelligence and diligence enabled him, with only a com- 
mon education, to inform himself thoroughly respecting 
public questions ; and when the struggle for liberty began, 
his mind was made up as to his future course. Entering 
the reg. of Col. John Bailey (2d) in 1775 as quarter- 
master, he was com. paym. with the rank of lieut. 1 
Jan. 1777, and capt. 1 Nov. 1778, serving until the close 
of the war. He then became a farmer in his native town, 
where his land was a model of neatness and good hus- , 
bandry. He officiated as a schoolmaster, and in other 
positions of trust; was Assist. Sec. of the Mass. Soc. Cin. in 
1808, and Assist. Treas. in 1809-24 ; and in 1810 was app. 
steward of the U.S. Marine Hospital, Charlestown, Mass., 
where he d. 26 July, 1824. He was an honest, indus- 
trious, and punctual man ; possessed a cheerful temper, 
and " appeared," says a contemj)orary, " to be always 
exerting himself to make all about him happy, and is 
the happiest old man I ever knew." 

His descent from Thomas^ Bailey, who was of Boston in 1G43, 
and with his wife Ruth was of Weymouth in IGGl, was through 
his eldest son John? who removed to Scituate ab. 1670; was 
admitted freeman 1G84; m. Sarah, dau. of Gowin and Elizabeth 
(Ward) White of Plymouth, 25 Jan. 1 672, and d. 1718. His second 

sou Joseph^ b. Oct. 1679, m. Miss Adams, a granddau. of the 

pilgrim John Adams, and had eight children, the youngest of whom 
was Adams* (father of Capt. Adams), b. 1722, who m. in 1746 
Sarah, dau. of Jonathan, Jr., and Sarah (Field) Howard. 

Capt. Bailey m. 17 June, 1779, Mary, dau. of Nathaniel and 
Mary (Otis) Little, b. 16 Nov. 1749, d. 21 Mar. 1821. Her 
ancestor Thomas Little came to Plymouth from Cumberland, Eng.^ 
it is said, in 1630, and 19 Apr. 1633, m. Ann, dau. of the pilgrim 
Richard Waz'ren. The personal beauty of Mrs. Bailey, which is a 



216 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

tradition in the family, was one of her least attractions ; and while 
taking a warm interest in the passing and public events of the times in 
which she lived, she yet found her whole life and hapjiiness in her 
family, upon which was centred and lavished all her affection. 

ADAMS BAILEY. 

He was the only child of Capt. Adams Bailey, an origi- 
nal member of the Society, whom he succ. in 1825 ; was 
h. Scituate 28 Apr. 1789, d. Boston, 20 Nov. 1858. He 
received a Boston school education, and was subsequently 
an assistant to his father in the Marine Hospital at Charles- 
town. In 1815 he was app. to an office in the Boston 
, Custom House, being first a clerk and afterward deputy 
collector, and remaining until Oct. 1857, with the excep- 
tion of the years 1841-43. As an officer, he was remark- 
ably prompt and accurate. Although politically opposed 
to a great majority of merchants and others who had occa- 
sion to meet him at the Custom House, yet, such was his 
facility in the disjDatch of business, his suavity of manner, 
and accommodating disposition, that he was universally 
popular, and party asperity never desired his removal from 
the post he filled so acceptably. He was Assist. Secretary 
of the Society in 1834-51, and Secretary from 1851 until 
his death. 

From the resolutions of the Society which this event 
called forth, we quote the following : — 

" He inherited from his father the genuine spirit of this institu- 
tion ; and the othce of secretary, to which he was last elected, he 
held most acceptably until his death. lie was the honored suc- 
cessor of Edwards and Townsend, and Callender and Jackson, and 
like them he loved to give assiduous attention to its benevolent 
and charitable ministrations." 

He m. Ellinor, dau. of Col. John and Susannah (Herbert) Hath- 
orne of Salem, 25 Dec. 1815. She d. 9 Sept. 1852. Her father, a 
descendant of Justice Hathorne, of Salem witchcraft memory, was 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 217 

for many years a merchant in Salem. She possessed a gifted and 
cultivated mind, and a cheerful and amiable disposition, which was 
tested by many years of suffering as an invalid. Two sons and 
two daughters survived their parents. 

ADAMS BAILEY. 

Eldest son of the preceding, to whom he succeeded in 
1860 ; resides in New York City. 

He was b. Hanover, Mass., 14 Sept. 1752, d. tliere 12 May, 
1820. His father, Col. John Bailey, of Hanover, was 
lieut.-col. of Thomas's reg., which marched to Roxbury in 
Apr. 1775 ; succ. Thomas as col. 1 July, 1775, and com- 
manded the 2d Mass. reg. until 31 Dec. 1780, with repu- 
tation. 

Luther was adjutant of his father's reg. in 1775 ; lieut. 
and quartermaster in 1776 ; was com. capt. 7 July, 1777, 
and served through the war with high rank as an officer. 
This reg. was one of those that fortified Dorchester Heights 
on the night of March 4, 1776 ; took part in the operations 
in and near New York in the foUoAving summer and autumn ; 
in the battles of Trenton, Princeton, and Monmouth ; and 
also in the campaign ending in the surrender of Burgoyne. 

He was accomplished in manners, and easy and pleasant 
in conversation and address, and was usually chairman of 
public meetings in his native town. 

The descent of Luther Bailey from Thomas,^ of Boston in 1G43, 
and Ruth his wife, was through John - and Sarah (White) Bailey ; 
John,^ b. 5 Nov. 1673, d. Hanover June, 1752, who m. 19 Feb. 
1700, Abigail, dau. of Dea. Samuel Clapp ; John,'^ b. 23 May, 1703, 
d. 28 Sept. 1778, who m. 11 Apr. 1723, Elizabeth Co wen ; Col. 
John^ (his flither), b. 30 Oct. 1730, d. 27 Oct. 1810, who m. 18 
Oct. 1750, Ruth Randall. She d. 3 June, 1820, te. 90. 

28 



/> 



218 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Liitlier m. 21 Oct. 1784, the accomplislied Miss Silvester Little, 
who d. 27 June, 1788, vs. 35, leaving two daughters who d. in child- 
hood. 

CALVIN BAILEY. 

Brother of Capt. Luther, whom he succ. in 1824 ; was b. 
Hanover 1760, d. Bath, Me., 1835. He was a clock- 
maker by trade, and an ingenious workman, and was an 
upright and honest man. 

By his wife Sarah, dau. of Col. John Jacobs of Scituate, who d. 
Hanover 24 Nov. 184G, x. 82, he had — 

LuciNDA, 11 July, 1794, m. Stephen Curtis of Scituate 181G, and 
d. 1818. 

Bernard Calvin. 

Edwin, 7 May, 1798, d. s. p. Aug. 1828. 

Luther and Martin, 29 Aug., d. Sept. and Nov. 1798. 

Capt. Henry, 2 Aug. 1801, m. Sarah Gardner IG Jan. 1832, 
lives in Quincy. 

Eliza, 5 July, 1803. 
. Sarah, 20 Aug. 1805, m. Lemuel Dwelley, Jr., of Hanover. 

BERNARD CALVIN BAILEY. 

Son of Calvin, whom he succ. in 1801 ; b. Hanover, Mass., 
17 May, 1796 ; removed, in 1815, to Bath, Me., where he 
still resides ; became a successful merchant and ship-owner; 
]\Iayor of Bath 1853-51 ; and is President of the Marine 
National Bank of Bath. 

He m. 20 May, 1820, Jane Doten Donnell of Hanover, who d. 
Bath 14 Dec. 1871. Their children are — 

Sarah Jane, Feb. 1821, m. George Davis in 1841. 
Col. Samuel Donnell, 20 July, 1825. 
LuciNDA, May, 1829. 

He was of Templeton, Wore. Co., Mass., and d. at Wor- 
cester 4 Nov. 1827, se. 75. He belonged to a company of 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 219 

minute-men, which was in the Lexington battle ; was in 
Moore's Co. of Nixon's reg. in May — Dec. 1775 ; in 
Andrew Haskell's Co. of Marshall's reg., and engaged 
in fortifying Boston Harbor in 1776 ; sergeant in Abel 
Holden's Co. of Nixon's (6th) reg., and com. ensign 12 
Nov. 1777 ; com. lieut. in Capt. P. Clayes's corap. 20 Apr. 
1781; in C. Smith's (6th) reg. 23 Apr. 1782; discharged 
3 Nov. 1783 ; served in the campaign against Burgoyne. 
In his application for a government pension, he stated that 
he was worth fB400 when he entered the service, in the 
course of which that sum had been entirely expended. 

Jetrutijan J3alTrU)in» 

He was b. Woburn, Mass., 13 Jan. 1732, d. Brookfield, 
Mass., 11 June, 1788. He was a captain in the expedition 
to Crown Point in 1755 ; prominent in the Provincial Con- 
gress of Massachusetts in 1774-75 ; active in planning the 
defensive works around Boston in 1775 ; com. assistant 
engineer, rank of capt., 16 Mar. ; lieut. col. (continental 
establishment) 26 Apr. ; and col. of engineers 3 Sept. 1776, 
to 26 Apr. 1782. He gave XlOO to Leicester Academy. 

His descent from Henry Baldwin^ of Charlestown in 1G40, after- 
ward of Woburn, who m. 1 Nov. 1G49, Phebe, dau. of Ezekiel 
Richardson, d. 14 Feb. 1698, was through Henry^ b. 15 Nov. 1GG4, 
d. 7 July, 1739, who m. 4 May, 1692, Abigail Fisk ; Isaac''' (his 
father), b 20 Feb. 1700, who m. 24 Mar. 1726, Mary Flagg. 

LUKE BALDWIN. 

Only son of Col. Jeduthan, whom he succ. in 1809 ; d. 
in 1832. His son John A., of Dunstable, N.H., applied 
for membersliip in 1834. 

lEtJencjer J^allanttne. 

He was com. surgeon's mate in Nixon's (6th) reg. 20 
May, 1780 ; and was a pensioner, living in N. Y. in 1820. 
Probably son of Rev. John Ballantine, of Westfield, Mass. 



220 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

mniliam piutrson JJallattr. 

Was of Amesbuiy, and d. Dec. 1814, leaving a widow, 
Keziah, who d. at Hoj^kinton, N.H., 3 June, 1832. Cap- 
tain in James Frye's (Essex) reg. May — Dec. 1775, and 
in Bunker's Hill battle ; in Asa Wliitcomb's (6th) reg. 
1776 ; in Brooks's (7th) reg. 1777-79, and in campaign 
against Burgoyne ; com. major in July, 1779, and in Bige- 
low's (15th) reg. until disch., 1 Jan. 1781. He possessed 
a good estate at the commencement of the war, but at its 
close found himself, througli his efforts in its behalf and 
successive losses, nearly reduced to poverty. His health 
was also so much impaired that he became depressed to 
that degree as to be unable to take care of his remaining 
property. He left several sons and one daughter. 

JOHN OSGOOD BALLARD. 

Eldest son of William H., whom he succ. in 1841 ; d. 
Hopkinton, N.H., Apr. 1854, te. 86. He taught school for 
many years, married in 1800, and engaged in business, but 
failed in 1819, and afterward kept a boarding-school. 

REV. EDWARD BALLARD, D.D. 

Eldest son and only child of John O., whom he succ. in 
1855 ; b. Hopkinton, N.H., 1805 ; d. rector of St. Paul's 
(Protestant Episcopal) Church, Brunswick, Me., 14 Nov. 
1870. He was in early life a school-teacher. He was 
Secretary of the Maine Hist. Society, was a contributor to 
its published Collections, and was well versed in the Indian 
languages and early history of that State. Received the 
degree of D.D. from Trinity College in 1865. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 221 

Jamts JSancroft. 

His ancestors settled ab. 1640 in the north-west part of 
Lynn, called Lynn End, now Lynnfield, where he was b. 
ab. 1756, and d. Boston 2 Apr. 1803. Com. ensign in 
Bridge's reg. May, 1775, and present at Bunker's Hill and 
siege of Boston ; com. lieut. in M. Jackson's (8th) reg. 
12 May, 1780, and served through the war. He then 
settled in business as a grocer in Boston, and was for 
some years prior to his death an Inspector of the Customs 
in that city. 

James his jfiither, b. ab. 1732, d. Aug. 1814, was a housewright 
and farmer, and is said to have behaved with great bravery in the 
Lexington battle. Lieut. Bancroft m. ab. 1783 Sally Parsons of 
Leicester, who d. 1795, sc. 41, and had — 
James. 
Henry. 

Charles, 19 Apr. 1788, d. Montreal, Canada, 1834, m. Mary Ann 
Jones of Barre, Mass., and had Henri/, Charles, and James. 
Henry d. leaving children ; Charles is a Prot. Ep. clergyman at 
Montreal, with a family ; James is a bank officer at Hamilton, 
Canada, and has no children. 
Sally P., IG Jan. 1790, resides unm. Brooklyn, N.Y. 
Harriet, 24 Sept. 1793, m. Benj. C. Cutler, Brooklyn, N.Y. 

JAMES BANCROFT. 

He was b. Lynnfield 30 Dec. 1784 ; succ. to his father's 
membership in 1809 ; and was a merchant in Phila., where 
he d. 13 Mar. 1855. 

He m. Rebecca Smith of Phila., and left a dan., who m. Elias 
Baker of New Brunswick, N..J. She d. leaving two young sons, 
James B. and Frederick Baker. 

HENRY BANCROFT. 

He was b. Lynnfield 9 Aug. 1786, succ. his bro. James 
in 1856, and d. 15 Aug. 1872. He m. Oct. 16, 1821, Ehza 



222 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Motley, and had two sons, who d. nnm. ; and a dau., who 
m. m 1841 Cyrus Wakefield, of Wakefield, Mass., and who 
has no children. 

Joel JJaiioto. 

He was b. Readmg, Ct., 24 Mar. 1755 ; d. Zarnowicke, 
Poland, 22 Dec. 1812 ; Yale Coll. 1778 ; app. chaplam in 
1778; in 3d Mass. brigade 1782-83; U. S. Consul to 
Algiers 1795-97 ; Ambassador to France 1811-12 ; author 
of the " Colurabiad," and of many other poetical and 
political writings. His " Hasty Pudding" attained great 
j)opularity ; and his patriotic songs, which were much in 
vogue in the camp, were of great service to the cause. 

He was an active Whig, and a meml)er of the commit- 
tee of correspondence. Com. lieut.-col. of Bradford's 
(14th) reg. 19 Nov. 1776 ; deranged 1 Jan. 1781, and d. 
Falmouth, Mass., 13 June, 1813, ce. 81. 

He was descended frcnn Col. William} of Sandwich, through 
Nathan,^ who removed to Chihnark ; and William,^ b. 1702, who 
m. Anne Mayhew. He m. 4 June, 1761, Mercy Bourne, and bad: 
Anne, 17G2 ; Mary, 17G4; and Love, 1775. 

Houis 33aurg trt iSclUriiJt. 

He was b. Fort Dauphin, St. Domingo, 16 Sept. 1753, d. 
Middletown, Ct., 20 Sept. 1807. Educated at the military 
school of Brienne, France, and became a planter in St. 
Domingo. As captain commandant of a corps of volunteer 
chasseurs, he took part in the siege of Savannah under 
D'Estaing in 1779, and continued in the service until the 
close of the war, receiving several wounds. In 1787 he 
was aide-de-camp to Gen. Lincoln during the suppression 
of Shays's insurrection. 




/jC*-oi^^^^ ^€^^ t^anJjO ^^ 



1^. 






} ' 





?()oc, hau/yy, 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 2'23 

His father John Baury was a captain of cavalry, and his mother 
Marie Jane Guillotin de la Vigerie was a relative of the celebrated 
Dr. Guillotin of Paris. Louis Baury m. in 1784 Mary, dan, of 
Elisha and Sarah Clark of Middletown, Ct., and gr.-dau. of Hugh 
Hall, a well-known Boston merchant. His eldest son Francis fell 
at the age of 17, while acting as aide to Gen. Rochambeau in St. 
Domingo, in March, 1802. 

FREDERIC BAURY. 

Son of Louis, whom he succ. in 1813 ; b. 1792 ; app. 
midshipman 1809 ; attached to the " Constitution," and in 
that frigate when she escaped from a British squadron, 
in 1812 ; also at the capture of the " Guerriere " and of 
the "Java;" promoted to lieut., and attached to the 
" Wasp," Capt. Blakeley, when she captured the " Rein- 
deer," in 1814. For this service Congress voted him a 
sword, presented after his death to his brother, Rev. A. L. 
Baury. He was in the " Wasp " in her memorable action 
with the " Avon," and at the time she was lost, in Sept. 
1814, being then in the 23d year of his age. 

ALFRED LOUIS BAURY, D.D. 

Dr. Baury was the fourth son of Louis Baury de Bel- 
lerive, an officer of the Revolutionary army, and Mary, 
daughter of Elisha and Sarah Clark of Middletown, Ct., 
where he was born, 14 Sept. 1794. He received his early 
education at Bacon Academy, Colchester, Ct. In 1809 
he became a clerk in the service of Mr. Josiah Williams, 
of Middletown ; and in 1814 began business there for 
himself, which, two years later, he transferred to Tar- 
borough, N.C., where he passed three winters. 

Being frequently called upon, in the absence of a clergy- 
man, to make addresses at funerals and to read the burial 
service, he urged upon the people the establishment of 



224 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

public "worship there, "with success ; and in 1818 returned 
to New England, and began the study of theology "with 
Dr. Titus Strong, of Greenfield, Mass. He removed soon 
after to Guilford, Yt., where he became a lav reader, and 
was instrumental in establishing there the parish of Christ 
Church. Sept. 28, 1820, he was admitted to deacon's 
orders by Bishop Griswold, but continued to officiate at 
Christ Church till May, 1822. Here his ministrations were 
both attractive and impressive ; and his memory is still 
cherished. Removing to Newton, Mass., he was in July, 
1822, chosen rector of St. Mary's, continuing in its charge 
until 21 Apr. 1851, having been ordained priest 28 Nov. 
1822. 

Mr. Baury, on retiring from this post, did not lay aside 
the ministerial office. As early as 1832 he began to exer- 
cise a supervision of the ancient parish of St. Paul's, in 
Hopkinton ; and after his retirement from the full duties 
of the pastoral office, he continued to officiate there, when 
the parish was not otherwise supplied, till the day of his 
death, which took place in Boston, 26 Dec. 1865. He 
also undertook the care of the glebe belonging to this 
parish, acting as attorney for the '* Society for the Projja- 
gation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts," which has held 
this property in trust since 1742. In 1855-58 lie was 
rector of St. Mark's Church, Boston, dividing his time 
between this and St. Paul's Church, Hopkinton. From 
1833 to 1843 he was secretary of the convention of the 
Protestant Episcopal Church in Mass. As treasurer of 
the " Society for the Relief of Widows and Orphans of 
Deceased Clergymen of the Diocese of Mass.," its funds 
were, through his exertions, largely increased. 

He received the degree of A.M. from Yale College in 
1848, and that of D.D. from Norwich University in 1865 ; 
admitted as successor of his brother Frederic in 1823. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 225 

He was chosen Vice-President of the Cincinnati 4 July, 
1858, and President in 1865. In 1847 he was made a 
corresponding member of the New England Historic- 
Genealogical Society. 

Dr. Baury published, in 1811, a sermon on the occasion 
of the funeral of " Zibeon Hooker, an Officer of the Revolu- 
tionary Army ; " and a sermon entitled an " Historical 
Sketch of St. Mary's Church, Newton, Lower Falls, being 
the 25th anniversary of the incumbent's first officiating in 
that church," in 1847. 

As a preacher, he was clear and impressive, modelling 
liis style upon that of the old English divines. In his 
personal appearance he was tall, erect ; in figure and 
movement, graceful and dignified. His fine, classical feat- 
ures, his silvered hair, his urbane, courteous, yet cordial 
manners, rendered him an agreeable companion ; and he 
will long be remembered in Boston as one of the best 
specimens of a gentleman of the old school. 

Dr. Baur}^ was married 1 July, 1829, to Mary Catharine, 
daughter of Daniel Henshaw, of Middlebury, Vt., who, 
with one son and three daughters, survives him. 

FREDP:RIC FRANCIS BAURY. 
Second son of Alfred Louis, whom he succ. in 1867, and 
Mary Catharine (Henshaw) Baury, niece of David Hen- 
shaw, Sec. of the U. S. Navy, was b. 20 Feb. 1843. En- 
tering the Volunteer Navy, he was made acting master's 
mate 14 Aug. 1861 ; promoted to acting master in Apr. 
1862, for gallantry in the engagement of the U. S. frigate 
"Congress" with the rebel ram " Merrimac," — the first 
combat with an iron-clad ship on record ; present in the 
various attacks on Charleston, S.C., from 1862 to 1864 ; 
promoted in Sept. 1864, to acting volunteer lieut., and 
attached to the " Colorado ; " and present at both attacks 

29 



226 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

upon Fort Fisher, Wilmington, N.C., in the Last of which, 
while leading a company of marines to the assault, he was 
shot through the body. Honoral)ly discharged 8 Feb. 
1869, and now a resident of New York City. 

He was the youngest of six brothers ; was born at TJx- 
briclge, in the county of Worcester, Sept. 1756, and when 
very j^oung came with his father to Taunton. 

His father, Nicholas Baylies, was a native of Shropshire, 
England. Elizabeth Park, his mother, was from Newton. 
Thomas Baylies, the grandfather of Judge Baylies, emi- 
grated from England about the year 1728. 

Judge Baylies was graduated at Harvard College in 
1777, and immediately entered the Revolutionary army as 
lieutenant ; and his first service, after recruiting, was 
on the Hudson. Appointed aide-de-camp to Gen. Lincoln 
in Dec. 1777, he encountered in that capacity all the 
hardships of the Southern campaigns. He was in the 
battle of Stono, participated in the unsuccessful attem})t 
of Gen. Lincoln and the Count d'Estaing to storm Sa- 
vannah, and underwent all the horrors of the siege of 
Charleston. 

In this service he became closely connected with John 
Laurens, the Bayard of the American army. 

Laurens once prevailed uj^on him to join in an attempt 
to capture a British armed schooner with a small boat 
rowed by six negroes ; and, strange to say, the enterprise 
was successful ! The schooner was captured by these 
young officers and the negroes without a fight. The crew 
of the schooner, unknown to them, was in a state of mutiny. 
He represented Laurens as having a fascination of manner, 
power of persuasion, and a military enthusiasm which none 
could resist. All yielded to the determined energy of his 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 227 

spirit, and followed him, without hesitation, even when he 
led them to the most desperate enterprises. 

When Gen. Lincoln capitulated, jNIajor Baylies became 
a prisoner of war ; and as soon as his exchange was 
effected, he rejoined the army. On the night when the 
lines were laid out before Yorktown, he was a witness to 
one of those gusts of passion on the joart of Washington 
which sometimes unsettled the equanimity of a temper 
generally under perfect control. It was occasioned by the 
neghgence of the engineer, whose duty it was to designate 
the lines, and who was absent. The general and himself 
were for a long time within " point blanc " shot of the 
enemy's works, uncovered. He was also in attendance 
upon Washingi;on in the trenches when the cannon-ball 
from the British works covered the chaplain's hat with 
sand, of which such a ludicrous account is given amongst 
the anecdotes of that period. 

After the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, Gen. Lincoln 
was appointed the first Secretary of War; and Major — 
then Lieutenant-Colonel — Baylies having been app. aide 
to Washington 3 May, 1782, remained in liis family until 
tlie termination of the war, after which he spent some time 
at Mount Veruon. Li 1784 he returned to the North, 
and married a daughter of Gen. Lincoln. When the pres- 
ent government went into operation under the Constitu- 
tion, he was appointed collector of the customs for the port 
of Dighton. Under the Restrictive System, he resigned 
the office. 

Li 1810 he was appointed, by Gov. Gore, Judge of 
Probate for the county of Bristol. This employment was 
entirely foreign to his previous pursuits ; but he soon ac- 
quainted himself with its multifarious details, and acquired 
an accurate and critical knowledge of the whole code of 
probate laws, — expounded them with clearness, precision, 



228 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

and even technical accuracy. Just, upright, impartial, and 
humane, he fulfilled every function of his office with the 
most scrupulous fidelit3^ 

In 1814 he was elected by the General Court of Massa- 
chusetts a member of that celebrated body known by the 
name of the Hartford Convention. 

In 1834, at the age of 78, and in the full vigor of his 
mental faculties, he resigned the office of Judge of Probate ; 
retired from all public emplo} ments, and d. at his residence 
in Dighton, 26 Apr. 1843. 

When he left the army, his health was much impaired : 
he held to life by a slender thread, which the slightest 
accident might have broken ; but, by the habit of strict 
regularit}^ and temperance, he reached a great age, with 
a constitution rather strengthened than enfeebled by the 
progress of years. The vigor of his mind never failed ; his 
perceptions were clear and acute ; his conversation marked 
with strong sense, abounding with anecdotes and interest- 
ing reminiscences of the Revolution, exhibited, almost to 
the last days of his hfe, the liveliness of youtli, without 
any of the garrulity of age, — always tasteful, animated, 
and correct. His children were — 

Edmund. William. Amelia. Benjamin Lincoln. 

EDMUND BAYLIES. 

Succeeded, as the eldest son of Hodijah, in 1857, and 
resides in Taunton, Mass. He m. Eliza Ann Payson, of 
Charlestown. Children : — 

Elizabeth, who m. AVyckham Hoffman of N.Y. 

Ruth, who m. Maturin Livingston of N.Y. 

Edmund Lincoln, May, 1829, II. U. 1850, d. Geneva, Switzer- 
lanfl, 1869, m. Natalie E., dau. of Robert Ray of New Y^ork, and 
had : Edmund, Walter Cabot, Cornelia Prime, and Ruth. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 229 

First lieiit. in Joseph Ward's (25th) reg. 1775-76 ; com. 
capt. in R. Putnam's (5th) reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; served to 
the close of the war, and d. a few years afterward. 

HORACE BINNEY, LL.D. 

He was the son of Barnabas, a surgeon in the Revolu- 
tionary army and a member of the Pennsylvania Society, 
b. 1751, grad. Brown U. 1774, who settled in practice in 
Phila. after the war, and d. 21 June, 1787. Horace was 
b. Phila. 4 Jan. 1780 ; H. U. 1797 ; admitted a member of 
the Mass. Soc. in 1796 ; became eminent at the Phila. bar ; 
Avas a member of the Pa. Legislature in 1806-7; M. C. 
1833-38 ; many years a director in the U. S. Bank ; re- 
ceived the degree of LL.D. from H. U. in 1827 ; and 
was Vice-Pres. of the General Societ}^ in 1844-48. 

The descent of Horace Binney from John^ of Hull, 1079, and 
wife Mercy, was through John^^ b. 31 May, 1680, who m. 3 May, 
1704, Hannah, dau. probably of the second Thomas Paine, d. 30 
June, 1759 ; Capt. Barnabas,^ b. 22 Mar. 1723, m. Avis, dau. of 
Wm. Engs, d. Demarara ab. 1774; and Surgeon Barnabas* (his 
father), who m. Mary, dau. of Henry Woodrow of N.J. She d. 
3 Feb. 1824. 

He was a house wright in Boston; was com. lieut. in 
1776 ; 2d lieut. in Crane's artillery 10 Sept. 1778 ; was reg. 
quartermaster in 1783 ; and d. 1792, leaving a widow, Dor- 
cas, and six children. She was living in Boston in 1837, 
8B. 81. His grandson, Joseph, applied in 1844 for a gov- 
ernment pension. 

ROBERT BLAKE. 

Eldest son of Lieut. Edward, whom he succ. in 1809 ; 
was a painter by trade, and resided in Boston, where he 
d. ab. 1854. 



230 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

He was of Sutton, Mass. ; com. captain in Wesson's 
(Otli) reg. 1 Mar. 1777 ; and d. a pensioner in N.Y. city, 
9 Aug. 1821. 

(talti) moHtt 

A lieut. in the N. Hampshire line ; joined the Mass. Soc. 
in 1788. After the war he was a merchant of Boston, 
and Avas drowned in the harbor while on a gunning excur- 
sion, 12 Aug. 1789. 

He was b. Boston 10 March, 1757, d. IMachias, Me., 
Sept. 1813. Com. ensign in Paterson's reg. 1776 ; lieut. 
and adjutant 28 Feb. 1779, and served in the light in- 
fantry comp. attached to Vose's (1st) reg. throughout the 
war. He was present at Saratoga, Monmouth, and York- 
town, and commanded the first company that entered 
N.Y. city on its evacuation by the British in Nov. 1788 ; 
was a brave and efficient officer, and on leaving the army, 
in 1784, received the brevet of captain. • He settled in 
Machias, Me., in 1788 ; was its postmaster and toAvn clerk 
at the time of his death, and was also clerk of the courts 
of Washington County. He was a true patriot and an 
honest man. It is said that, while Gen. Gage held Boston, 
young Bowles met at his Aunt Lynde's, in Salem, with 
some British officers, who solicited him to enter his 
INIajesty's service, and that, young as he was, he resisted 
the temptation. 

His descent from John Bowles,^ of Roxburyin IGoi), and Eliza- 
beth, dau. of Isaac Heath, was through Rev. John^^ bap. 17 June, 
1G53, IL U. 1G71, a representative and speaker of the house in 1090, 
d. 27 Mar. IG'Jl, who m. Sarah EUot, only child of Rev. John ; Maj. 
John,^ b. 15 Mar. 1G85, H. U. 1702, d. 28 Mar. 1737, who m. 10 
Sept. 1706, Lydia, dau. of Col. Saral. Checkley ; Joshua* (his father), 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 281 

b. 3 May, 1722, d. 31 Aug. 1794 who m. Mary, dau. of C'apt. 
Ealph Ilartt, a noted shiiDbuilder of Boston. 

Ralph Hart Bowles m. in 1788 ITannah, dau. of Re\\ Josiah 
Crocker, pastor of the first church in Taunton, a woman of great 
energy of character, and much esteemed for her many virtues. She 
d, Roxlun-y !•* July, 1848, a^. 82. Her mother was the sister of Gen. 
David Cobb and also of Sarah, wife of Hon. Robert Treat Paine, 
a signer of tlie Deel. of ludep. Her bro. Capt. Joseph Crocker 
was the first Assist. Sec. of the Soc. The children of Ralph and 
Hannah were — 

Lucius Quintius Cincinnatus. 
Hannah Crocker, 20 Apr. 1791, d. in infimcy. 
Stephen Jones, 7 July, 1 793, merchant, d. Roxbury 20 Mar. 
1846,m. Elizabeth Thorndike, dau. of Col. Joseph Wallace, Jr., 
of Harrington, Me., and had : Elizaheth Wallace, 3 Mar. 1829 ; 
Stephen Wallace, 21 Dec. 1835 ; John Eliot, 21 Aug. 1842, d. 
26 Feb. 1853 ; Lnctj B., 8 Nov. 1845. 
Leonard Crocker, Sept. 179G. 
AVm. Ralph Hart, Sejit. 1799, d. 1851. 

Mary Jones, May G, 1802, m. Fred'k A. Burrall, merchant of 
New York, d. 1845. 

LUCIUS QUINTIUS CINCINNATUS BOWLES. 

He was the eldest son of Ralph Hart Bowles, whom he 
succ. m 1814 ; was b. Machias, Me., 6 Mar. 1789, d. unm. 
Roxbury, July, 1843. After an apprenticeship to John 
West, bookseller m Boston, he removed to Montpelier, 
Vt., and while there commanded a company which 
marched to Plattsburg in 1814, and served to the end 
of the war. He was afterward a publisher in New York 
and subsequently resided in Machias, where he was 
senator, from Washington Co., for one or more years. 

LEONARD CROCKER BOWLES. 

Third son of Ralph Hart Bowles, succ. his bro. L. Q. C. 
Bowles, in 1860 ; Assistant Secretary since I860 ; b. 
Machias, Me., 12 Sept. 1796 ; publisher in Boston. He 



232 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

m. 7 Oct. 1824, Catharine Cusbing, eldest dau. of Martin 
Lincoln of Hingham, gr.-dau. of Gen. Benjamin Lincoln 
of the army of the Revolution. Their children are — 

Mary Elizabeth, who m. William Crosby, bookseller of Boston. 

Cathakink Leonard. ' 

Martin Lincoln, merchant, Boston. 

Samuel JSo toman. 

He was b. Lexington, Mass., 2 Dec. 1753, d. 28 June, 
1818, "Wilkesbarre, Pa. He enlisted at the commencement 
of the Revolution ; was an ensign in Greaton's (3d) reg. ; 
com. lieut. in Vose's (1st) reg. 22 Apr. 1782 ; served at 
Lexington, and in many battles of the war ; and, as com. 
of the guard, walked arm in arm with Andre to the place 
of that officer's execution. He moved to Wilkesbarre ab. 
1789. Capt. 11th U. S. Infantry 8 Jan. 1799 — June, 1800. 

His descent from Nathaniel^ of Watertown, 1030-37, who d. 21 
Jan. 1082, and his wife Anna, was through Francis^- who m. 20 Sept. 
IGGl, Martha Shennan, andd. Cambridge Farms 10 Dec. 1087, ae. 57 ; 

Joseph,'' b. 18 May, 1 074, d. 8 Apr. 1702, and Phebe ; Thoddeus * 

(his father), b. 2 Sept. 1712, who m. 2 Dec. 1730, Sarah, dau. of Dea. 
Joseph Loring. 

He m. in Phila. 3 Nov. 1784, Eleanor Ledlie, whose parents were 
from Ireland, and had a family of children, some of whom have 
been quite distinguished. 

^nticcto JJiMtifortr. 

Son of Hon. Gamaliel ; b. Duxbury, Mass., 2 June, 1745, 
d. there 1 Jan. 1837 ; H. U. 1771 ; paym. in Bradford's 
(14th) reg. 1 Jan. 1777-31 Dec. 1780 ; lieut. 2G Nov. 1779 ; 
in Brooks's (7th) reg. 1 Jan. 1781, until discharged, 10 Apr. 
1782. He was afterward a teacher. By his wife, Mary 
Turner, of Pembroke, he had one son. Dr. James Harvey, 
who d. Duxbury, 28 Feb. 1863, s. p. In 1864 Robert F., 
commander U. S. N., gr.-gr.-son of Seth, brother of Lieut. 
Andrew, was elected as his successor. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 233 

His descent from Gov. William ^ Bradford was througli Maj. 
William;' b. 17 June, 1624,d. 20 Feb. 1703 ; Lieut. Samuel;' h. 1GG8, 
d. 11 Apr. 1714, m. July, 1689, Hannah, dau. of Gamaliel Rogers; 
Hon. Gamaliel* (his father), b. 18 May, 1704, d. 24 Apr. 1778, who 
m. 30 Aug. 1728, Abigail Bradford. 

iKamalid JJcaTifoftr. 

He was b. Duxbury, Mass., 2 Sept. 1731, d. there 9 Jan. 
1807. Like his father, Hon. Gamaliel Bradford, he was 
a man of eminence and worth in his town, serving it in 
various capacities, and was intrusted with its highest hon- 
ors. During the period of 1756-58 he commanded a com- 
pany, and in 1775 held the rank of major. As a magistrate 
of the county, he was one of those who presented an 
address to Gen. Gage, for which act he afterward asked 
the forgiveness of the town, and signed a recantation of 
sentiments. Jan. 1, 1777, he was com. col. of the 14th 
continental reg. which he commanded until the close of 
the war. He was also col. of militia, and for some years the 
representative of the town. 

Col. Gamaliel m. 10 Mar. 1757, Sarah Alden. Children: — 
Perez, 14 Nov. 1758, m. Judith Cooper, and had ^SawweZ and 

Judith, who m. a Huntington. 
Sophia, 16 Nov. 1761, d. 2 Feb. 1855. 
Gamaliel, 4 Nov. 1763. 
Alden, 19 Nov. 1765. 
Sauah, 24 Feb. 1768, m. Wm. Hinckley. 
Jerusha, 30 Jan. 1770, m. Ezra Weston. 
Daniel, 27 Dec. 1771, m. Sarah Drew. 
Gershom, 3 Feb. 1774, m. Sarah Hinckley, and d. 8 Aug. 1844. 

ALDEN BRADFORD, LL.D. 

Third son of Col. Gamaliel, whom he succ. in 1812 ; b. 
Duxbury, 19 Nov. 1765 ; d. Boston, 26 Oct. 1843 ; H. U. 
1786 ; tutor at H. U. 1791-93 ; pastor of a Congregational 
Church, at Wiscasset, Me., 1793-1801 ; Clerk Mass. Su- 

30 



234 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

preme Court ; Secretary of State of Massachusetts, 1812- 
24 ; some time a bookseller in Boston ; author of " His- 
tory of Massachusetts," " New England Biography," and 
many other works ; received the honorary degree of LL.D. 
from Bowdoin Coll. 1803. 

He m. in 179o Mary Stevenson. Their children were — 

Margaret Boies, 28 May, 179G. 

Wm. John Alden, 19 Nov. 1797, H. U. 181 G, d. 1858. 

Lucy Ann, 14 Sept. 1800, m. Henry Dwight. 

Thomas Gamaliel. 

Duncan, 15 Aug. 1804, H. U. 1824. 

Isabella Thomas, 25 Ajir. 180G. 

Sarah, 28 Apr. 1808. 

John Robinson, Sept. 1813, d. 1828, 

THOMAS GAMALIEL BRADFORD. 

Second son of Alden, whom he succ. in 1859 ; b. 13 Dec. 
1802 ; H. U. 1822 ; resides in Boston. 

(Bfamalifl JSraTifotTJ. 

Second son of Col. Gamaliel ; b. Duxbury, 4 Nov. 1763, 
and received his early education under the care of Hon. 
George Partridge. At the age of thirteen, he accompa- 
nied his father to the American camp ; Avas com. ensign in 
his reg. in 1779 ; lieut. 3 Sept. 1780 ; and remained in ser- 
vice until 1783, when he was in Brooks's (7th) reg. After 
the war, he followed the sea as a means of livelihood, 
making a voyage to France in 1784. In 1798 he was 
offered the command of the frigate " Boston " by President 
Adams, but declined the appointment. While command- 
ing a merchant-ship, in 1799, he was attacked in the 
Mediterranean by four French privateers, whom he suc- 
cessfully resisted. In the following year, in beating off 
two large French armed vessels, he received a wound in 
the thigh, which rendered amputation necessary. Quitting 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 235 

the sea in 1808, he was in 1813 app. warden of the State 
Prison ; and d. Boston, 7 Mar. 1824. In 1820 he received 
the honorary degree of A.M. from Harvard University. 

By his wife, Elizabeth Hinckley, he had — 

Dr. Gamaliel. George Partridge, H. U. 1825. 

Sarah, m. Samuel Ripley. John B. 

Elizabeth. Margaret S., m. S. Ames. 

Daniel N., d. 1821. Hannah R, m. A. H. Fiske. 

Martha T., m. J. Bartlett. 

DR. GAMALIEL BRADFORD. 

Eldest son of Capt. Gamaliel, whom he siicc. in 1824 ; 
b. Boston, 17 Nov. 1795 ; H. U. 1814. At the age of twelve, 
he accompanied his father on a voyage to Europe, and was 
for nine months a student in a Catholic seminary, at Mes- 
sina. He was for one year an assistant teacher in the 
Boston Latin School ; attended the medical lectures at the 
U. of Edinburgh in 1819-20, and on his return began 
practice as a physician in Boston. During the winter of 
1824-25, he delivered an excellent course of lectures on 
physiology in Boston, in connection with Dr. John Ware. 
He gave up practice in 1827 ; superintended a large brew- 
ery in South Boston until 1833 ; and from that time till 
his death, 22 Oct. 1839, was superintendent of the Mass. 
General Hospital. Dr. Bradford was a frequent contrib- 
utor to the journals and periodicals of the day ; and his 
address to the Mass. Temperance Society, his Letter to 
Fletcher, Sprague, and Otis on Slavery, and his speech 
on Slavery before a committee of the Mass. House of 
Representatives in 1831, were published in pamphlet form. 

In March, 1821, he m. Sophia, dau. of Col. Nathan Rice, by 
whom he had — 

Harriet, 2 Feb. 1827, d. 16 Feb. 1828. 

Francis, 2 Feb. 1829, d. -. 

Gamaliel, 15 Jan. 1831. 
Sarah, 9 May, 1833. 



236 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

GAMALIEL BRADFORD. 

Eldest son of Dr. Gamaliel, whom he siicc. in 1852 ; b. 
Boston, 15 Jan. 1831 ; H. U. 1849 ; resides at Grantville, 
Mass. 

Son of Robert Bradford, of Kingston, gr.-son of John, 
who was the oldest gr.-son of Gov. William ; b. Plymouth, 
Mass., 1750, d. Belpre, 0., 1823. He was in the battle of 
Bunker's Hill, was engaged in nearly all the pitched bat- 
tles fought in the Eastern and Middle States, and closed 
his military career at Yorktown. Com. ensign in Bailey's 
V/ (-cD i'6g. 1776 ; lieut. and quarterm. 1 Jan. 1777, and 

capt. 21 June, 1779. He received, with many other 
officers of light infantry, under the orders of La Fayette, 
the gift of an elegant sword, which was in 1854 in the 
hands of his only surviving son, O. L. Bradford, of Wood 
Co., Va. He was one of the early pioneers to Ohio, hav- 
ing emigrated to Marietta in 1788, and settled at Belpre 
in 1789. By an epidemic, in 1792, he lost all of his chil- 
dren but one. He m. Keziah, dau. of Nathaniel Little, of 
Kingston. 

Josijtia JSramljalL 

Com. ensign in Bradford's (14th) reg. 1777 ; lieut. 5 
Feb. 1779 ; in Brooks's (7th) reg. 1783 ; d. before 1812. 

(J^riflcu JSrtflijam, £^M. 

He was the son of Francis and Phebe (Ward) Brigham, 
of New Marlboro', Mass. ; was siu-geon's mate in Warner's 
reg. 1 Aug. 1777; com. in Bailey's (2d) reg. 25 Apr. 1781. 
He m. Eleanor Soide, and resided after the war, as a prac- 
tising physician, in Schoharie, N.Y., where he d. about 
1815^ 




'3J®m.^j igm(5)®;ESo 




"^^^^y-zr^LY, 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 237 



Son of Capt. Caleb and Rutli ( Albree ) Brooks ; 
was b. in Medford, Mass., and was baptized 31 INIay, 
1752. His father was a farmer, and his mother was 
a woman of superior personal and mental attractions. 
Their son was taught the rudiments, and initiated into 
Latin and Greek, at the town school, where his companion 
and friend was Benjamin Thompson, afterward the cele- 
brated Count Rumford, with whom he kept up a corre- 
spondence until the death of the count. At the age of 
fourteen he was received into the family of Dr. Simon 
Tufts, who educated him for his profession, the skill of the 
instructor and the industry of his pupil supplying the 
deficiencies of a collegiate education. He early showed a 
taste for military affairs, and raised and commanded a boy's 
company which he trained and exercised in the doctor's 
grounds. 

At the age of twenty-one he commenced the practice 
of medicine in Reading, where in 1774 he married the 
beautiful Lucy Smith. The Revolutionary storm Avasnow 
gathering ; and Brooks, who had gained some additional 
military knowledge by carefully observing the British 
troops in Boston, was chosen captain of the minute-men 
of Reading. At their head he marched on the memorable 
19th of April, and in the vicinity of Concord met the 
British on their retreat. 

Perceiving that they had to pass a bridge and cause- 
way, and must call m their flank guards, he took a position 
behind a barn and stone wall, and fired on them with 
effect as they passed the narrow defile. Hanging on their 
rear and flanks, he pursued them to Charlestown Neck, 
shielding his .own men so judiciously as to lose none. The 



238 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

talent and bravery he displayed on this occasion procured 
his promotion, and on Jan. 1, 1776, Congress appointed him 
major of Col. Charles Webb's (19th) regiment. He had 
been chosen major of Bridge's regiment in May, 1775. 

On the night of the 16th of June, 1775, he volunteered 
his services in intrenching Bunker's Hill and in watching 
the movements of the enemy, and on the morning of the 
17th was sent by Col. Prescott to Gen. Ward at Cambridge 
for reinforcements. Being obliged to perform this duty 
on foot, he could take no part in the glorious achievements 
of the day. 

Brooks was soon remarked as an excellent disciplinarian, 
and the corps he commanded were distinguished during 
the whole war by their superior discipline, evinced by their 
gallant conduct in battle and by their regularity in retreat. 
The 19tli was present at the siege of Boston and the re- 
treat from Long Island, and in the battle of White Plains 
so ably covered the retreat as to receive the acknowledg- 
ments of Washington for its gallant conduct. This regi- 
ment was included in the division Avhich, under Gen. Lee, 
reinforced Washington on the right bank of the Delaware. 
Major Brooks bore his share of the hardships of the win- 
ter campaign, and remained with the regiment until the 
term of its enlistment had expired. 

Jan. 1, 1777, he was made lieut.-col. of Michael Jack- 
son's (8th) regiment, which he commanded in consequence 
of the disability of its colonel. Joining the Northern army, 
he volunteered with his command in August for the relief 
of Fort Stanwix, then attacked by Col. St. Leger ; and to 
Brooks belongs the merit of having planned the successful 
ruse by which that object was effected. The siege raised, 
and the savage au^vilii^i'ies of the British army dispersed, 
the detachment returned to the main army on the Hudson. 

Gen. Gates having stationed himself on Bemis Heights, 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 239 

Biirgoyne took up a position within two miles of him, and 
fortified liis camp. 

On the ground between the two armies, on the 19th of 
September and 7th of October, two of the severest battles 
of the Revolutionary war were fought. On the 19th Lieut.- 
Col. Brooks occuj)ied the extreme left of the American 
line, and was engaged with the German troops. His regi- 
ment was the last to quit the field. In the still more 
important and severely contested action of the 7th of 
October, Brooks's regiment was particularly conspicuous. 
He turned the right of the enemy's encampment, and 
stormed the redoubt occupied by the Germans. Their 
commander, Col. Breyman, was killed, and the works were 
gallantly carried, his regiment remaining masters of the 
ground. In Col. Trumbull's picture of the surrender of 
Burgoyne, Brooks is a prominent figure. Brooks's conduct 
in this battle is thus described by an eye-witness : " When 
the Colonel saw that the decisive moment had come, he 
lifted his sword in the air and cried, ' Follow your Colonel 
at double quick ! ' He immediately led the way to the 
top of the intrenchments, crying, '■Come on, come onP 
They did come on ; and a most bloody and violent con- 
flict ensued, in which they decided the fate of the day." 

Brooks then joined the army under Washington, and 
while at Valley Forge was designated by the latter to 
assist Baron Steuben in bringing into practice his new sys- 
tem of military tactics. 

When the British evacuated Philadelphia, Washington 
marched in pursuit. At Monmouth, June 28, 1778, the 
two armies came in conflict ; and Col. Brooks, as adju- 
tant-general to Gen. Lee, was prominent in the events 
of the day. Nov. 11, 1778, he was commissioned lieut.- 
col. commanding the 7th continental regiment, fonnerly 
Alden's. After the troops had again taken post on the 



240 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

banks of the Hudson, Brooks was employed under Steuben 
as inspector, in which position he rendered valuable service, 
acquired the confidence of Washington, and established an 
enviable reputation alike for military science and personal 
qualities. 

This was especially shown upon the appearance of the 
Newburg letters in March, 1783. Washington, to whom 
this was a most anxious moment, addressed the officers, 
exhorting them to withhold their countenance from the 
suggestions they contained. 

Col. Brooks was one of the committee of officers who 
expressed their views upon this subject in resolutions, 
the importance of which in quieting tlie excitement of the 
army at this critical moment cannot be overestimated. 
" On this occasion the Commander-in-chief rode up to 
Brooks with intent to ascertain how the officers stood 
affected. Finding him, as he expected, to be sound, he 
requested him to keep his officers in their quarters, to pre- 
vent them from attending the insurgent meeting. Brooks 
replied, ' Sir, I have anticipated your wishes, and my orders 
are given.' Washington, with tears in his eyes, took him 
by the hand and said, ' Col. Brooks, this is just what I 
expected from you.' " 

Like most of his brothers-in-arms. Brooks retired in pov- 
erty from the service of his country, and at once resumed 
his profession in Medford and its vicinity, as the successor 
of his old friend, Dr. Tufts. 

In 1786 he was made maj.-gen. 3d division Mass. 
militia, and in 1798 was nominated a brig.-gen. of the pro- 
visional army, but declined. He was frequently chosen a 
representative to the General Court ; and as a member of 
the Convention of 1788, by which the Constitution of the 
U. S. was adopted, gave to that measure a hearty support. 
He took part in the debates upon this question ; and, by 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 241 

pointing out the difference between " a consolidation of 
the States and consolidation of the Union," he evinced a 
forethought and sagacity indicative of the sound practical 
statesman. For several years he was a senator for the 
county of Middlesex, and a member of the executive 
council ; U. S. Marshal for the district of Mass. 1701-96 ; and 
appointed 20 Dec. 1796, Inspector of the Revenue for Sur- 
vey No. 2, in the district of Mass. During the war of 
1812, Gov. Strong appointed him adjutant-gen. of the State. 
From 1816 to 1823, Brooks was Governor of Massachu- 
setts, bringing the State to a good degree of internal har- 
mony, and allaying party animosities, — a task for which he 
was admirably fitted. His addresses to the legislature dis- 
play large and liberal views of the policy of the State. In 
the language of Chief Justice Parker, " he maintained the 
dignity of the office, and thereby honored the people who 
bestowed it ; receiving all distinguished strangers with be- 
coming attention and courtesy. Bred in the best school of 
manners, — a military association of high-minded, accom- 
plished officers, — his deportment, though grave and digni- 
fied like Washington's, was nevertheless warm and affection- 
ate. In the chair of state, when receiving the gratulations of 
a happy people on the birthday of their independence ; on 
the military field, reviewing our national guard, the militia ; 
at his own humble but honored mansion, taking to his 
breast his early friend, ' the nation's guest,' — what young- 
man of taste and feeling could be unmoved at his soldierly 
air, his graceful demeanor, covering but not impairing the 
generous feelings of a warm and affectionate heart ! He 
was one of the last and best samples of that old school of 
manners, which, though it has given way to the ease and 
convenience of modern times, will be regretted by some, as 
having carried away with it many of the finest and most 

delicate traits of social intercourse." 

31 



242 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

As a physician he ranked in the first chxss of practitioners, 
possessing in an eminent degree those qualities which were 
calculated to render him the most useful in his professional 
labors, and the delight of those to whom he administered 
relief. Plis mind was well furnished with practical knowl- 
edge, and he Avas sympathetic, patient, and attentive. 

After his voluntary retirement from the chair of state, 
he still continued to serve the community in various im- 
portant capacities, continuing to his death president of 
the Mass. Medical Society, of the Washington Monu- 
ment Society, of the Bunker Hill Monument Association, 
and of the Mass. Bible Society. He was the first Secre- 
tary of the Cincinnati of Massachusetts (1783-86), before 
whom he delivered the first of the orations, July 4, 1787 ; 
was its President from 1810 to his death, which occurred 
Mar. 1, 182.5 ; and was Vice-President of the General 
Society, 1811-25. From the University at Cambridge he 
received the honorary degree of A.M. in 1787, in 1810 
that of M.D., and that of LL.D. in 1817. 

His descent from TJtumas ^ Brooks who came as supposed from 
Suffolk, Eug., settled in Watertovvn 1631, and finally in Concord in 
1636, where he d. 21 May, 1667, was through Caleb;^ b. 1632, d. 21) 
July, 1696; Menezer,^ h. 24 Feb. 1670, d. 11 Feb. 1743, m. Abi- 
gail, dau. of Dr. Thomas Boylston, who d. 26 May, 1756, a?. 82; 
Caleb* (his father), b. 8 July, 1694, d. 21 Nov. 1766, m. 2d Ruth 
Albree, 1 Mar. 1750. 

He m. Lucy Smith, who d. 26 Sept. 1791, x. 38. They had — 
LucY,^ 16 June, 1775, m. 2 Oct. 1803, Rev. John O'Kill Stuart 
of Kingston, C. W., d. 1813, leaving one child Geo. O'KiU 
Stuart, who has been INIayor of Quebec. 
Alexander Scammell.^ 

J0HN,6 20 May, 1783, fell at the battle of Lake Erie 10 Sept. 
1813, unm. He began to study medicine, but afterward entered 
the navy, and was killed in the action with an English squad- 
ron, a cannon-ball having severed one leg from his body at the 
hip. ' 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 243 

ALEXANDER SCAMMELL BROOKS. 

He was the only surviving son of Gov. John Brooks, 
whom he succ. in 1825 ; b. Medford, 19 Oct. 1781 ; killed 
19 Dec. 1836, by a steamboat explosion, at St. John's bar, 
coast of Florida. App. first lieut. U. S. light artillery, 3 
May, 1808 ; cupt. 3d artillery, 12 Mar. 1812 ; brevet major, 
for gallantry at Plattsburg, 11 Sept. 1814 ; major 3d artil- 
lery, 26 Apr. 1832 ; lieut.-col. 4th art. 6 Apr. 1835. Succ. 
by Alex. Brooks Keyes, his grand-son. 

He m. 28 May, 1817, Sarah Turner, of Boston. Their children 
were — 

John, who d. a Passed Midshipman U. S. N., 4 June, 1843. 

Lucy, who m. 30 May, 1843, lion. Edward L. Keyes, of Dedham. 
They had : Caroline Florence, 23 Mar. 1844; Alexander S., and 
George Stuart his twin, 2G July, 1846 ; Edivard Livingston, 26 Sept. 
1848. 

He was b. Quincy, Mass., Apr. 1757, d. Newton Corner, 
Mass., 1 Sept. 1844. Private in the Co. of minute-men of 
Capt. P. B. Adams, in Dec. 1774 ; corporal in Jacob Loud's 
Co. of Greaton's reg. 1775; transferred to Thayer's Co. 
of Whitney's reg. 1776 ; sergeant in Judah Alden's Co. of 
Bailey's (2d) reg. 1777 ; com. ensign in Bailey's 28 Sept. 
1777 ; com. lieut. in Vose's (1st) reg. 21 Mar. 1782; disb. 
3 Nov. 1783. He was in several battles preceding that of 
Saratoga, where he was wounded by a musket-ball in the 
right shoulder ; served in Vose's light inf. reg. under 
La Fayette, in the Virginia campaign ; was in several skir- 
mishes, including those of Hot Water Springs and Green 
Springs, and was at the siege of Yorktown. 

He m. Feb. 1789, Hannah Parker of Roxbury, and had : Eliz- 
ABiiTH ; Frederick W. S. A. ;*and Catharine, who d. young. 



24+ BIOGKAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

FREDERICK W. S. A. BROWN. 

Eldest son of Ebenezer, whom he succ. in 1845 ; b. 1792 ; 
master of signals in Boston Harbor for twenty-five years, 
and d. Boston, 5 July, 1850. 

He was b. Lexington, Mass., 25 July, 1753 ; com. lieut. 
in Gridley's art. in 1775 ; in Kjiox's in 1776 ; capt. -lieut. in 
Crane's in 1779 ; after the war, was an innholder in Con- 
cord until 1789, when he removed to Virginia, and settled 
on the Ohio River, giving to the place the name Brown- 
ville, and was living there on a government pension in 
1820. He is credited with a service in the army of three 
years and six months, to 28 May, 1779. 

His descent from John Brown,^ of Watertown, 1G32, d. 1636, oe. 
36, and his wife Dorothy, was through John^'h. Enghmd, 1631, who 
m. 24 Apr. 1655, Esther or Hester Makepeace; Joseph,^ b. 1677, 
d. 11 Jan. 1764, who m. in Watertown, 15 Nov. 1609, Euhaniah 
Wellington ; Benjamin * (his father), bap. 3 July, 1720, d. 1801, m. 
22 Dec. 1742, Sarah, dau. of Wm. Reed. 

JOHN BRYANT. 

Nephew, by a sister, of Lieut. David Mason, Jr., whom 
he succ. in 1802 ; merchant of Boston of the firm of Bryant 
and Sturgis, and d. there 5 Feb. 1865, se. 84. Assistant 
Treasurer of the Society 1846-65. Dr. Henry Bryant, his 
second and only living son, succ. him in 1865, but did not 
qualify, and d. in 1867, te. 47. 

Com. lieut. in Baldwin's reg. of artificers, 1777 ; com. 
1st lieut. in Parker's Co., same reg., 12 Nov. 1779; after- 

* Never contributed his montli's pay to tlie Society. 




c:^^^^^ (^y^^^u^^u^:^ 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 245 

ward in Hazen's reg. He d. in Boston, 8 Oct. 1804, leaving 
a widow (Ruth) and five children. 

^sa JSuUartr. 

He was born Sherborn, Mass., 27 Apr. 1758, d. 1804-5, 
leaving no child. He was a private in Benj. Ballard's Co., 
Jona. Brewer's reg., in May — Dec. 1775, and present at 
Lexington and Bunker's Hill ; com. ensign in S. Brewer's 
12th reg. 7 Oct. 1777 ; lieut. in Sprout's (12th) reg. 5 July, 
1779. 

His descent from Benjamin -^ Bullard, of Watertown in 1637, was 
through Benjamin,"^ one of the first settlers of Sherborn, who d. 
1689, and Martha Fairbank of Dedham ; Capt. Samuel,^ b. 26 Dec. 
1667, d. 10 Dec. 1727, who m. June, 1690, Deborah, dau. of James 
Atherton; Lieut. Benjamin,'^ b. 16 Feb. 1697, d. 1762, m. 20 Dec. 
1721, Miriam, dau. of Sanmel Morse; Col. Samuel^ (his father), b. 
2 Aug. 1729, d. 5 March, 1807, m. 10 July, 1754, Mary, dau. of 
James Coolidge. 

JAMES BULLARD. 

He was b. Sherborn, Mass., 20 Jan. 1813, and succ. Asa, 
as grand-son of his elder bro. Adam, in 1859. He inherited 
the homestead in Sherborn, m. Elizabeth M. Lothrop, b. 
15 Aug. 1817, and has — 

Edward B. Agnes H. Marietta L. Carrie I. 

The following letter, written by Gen. Burbeck, when 
in his ninety-third year, to Charles S. Davies, Esq., of 
Portland, dated Aug. 20, 1846, comprises the principal 
events of his career : — 

" My native place is Boston, where I was born in the year 1754. 
I spent the early part of my life at Old Castle William (now Fort 
Independence, Boston Harbor), with my father, who was the second 
officer in command. My education was not such as can be ob- 



246 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

tained now in the same situation of life, but on a par with the rest 
of the officers in general. As they obtained the object they de- 
sired (viz., the indejDendence of the country), a classical education 
could not have done more or better. I attended the common writ- 
ing-school of the day, eighty years ago, under the sujierintendence 
of ' Master Tileston,' but for the principal part of my education 1 
am indebted to my father. 

" When the battle of Lexington took place, I was in Boston, 
where every boat and means was taken to prevent the inhabitants 
from leaving the town. In a short time provisions grew scarce, and 
regulations were then made for the citizens to leave ; and, a pass 
being given, their trunks, &c., were examined by Britisli officers, for 
arms of all kind. My father l)eing proscribed, and in the pay of 
the British ordnance department, by a previous arrangement some 
time before made his escape by crossing to Noddle's Island (now 
East Boston) to C\imbridge, and reported himself to the ' Commit- 
tee of Safety,' or ' Provincial Congress,' of which Dr. Joseph War- 
ren was chairman or president. 

" I left Boston soon after, as a member of a family of my ac- 
quaintance, and proceeded to Cambridge ; there joined my father, 
who was making arrangements for a laboratory to prepare ammu- 
nition, &c. I then joined a company of volunteers, commanded by 
Captain Ilorton (with two six-pounders). On the 19th May, 1775. 
I received a commission, signed by Dr. Joseph Warren, which I 
think is one of the oldest commissions in the Revolutionary service. 
I was appointed a lieutenant in the Massachusetts line, commanded 
by Colonel Richard Gridley, and again appointed on the 1st Janu- 
ary, 1776, a lieutenant in a regiment of artillery in the Massachu- 
setts line of the continental army, commanded by Colonel Henry 
Knox. Again appointed the 1st January, 1777, a captain-lieutenant 
in a regiment of artillery in the Massachusetts line, commanded by 
Colonel John Crane. Was promoted to a captaincy in said regiment 
and line the 12th September, 1777, and continued in that regiment 
to the end of the war, 1 783, at wliich time the army was disbanded 
and I returned to private life with the brevet rank of major. 

During the campaign of 177'), I remained with the army at Cam- 
bridge. In April, 177G, I marched with the army to the city of 
New York, and remained with it until the evacuation, September, 
1776. During the diffiirent operations of that year I was at White 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 247 

Plains and New Jersey, &c. In the year 1777 I joined the army 
at Saratoga, remained with it a short time, and was ordered to join 
the main array in Pennsylvania, under the command of General 
Washington, and was with it during the different engagements at 
Brandywine, Germantown, &c., and closed the campaign at Valley 
Foi'ge. In 1778 I marched with the army from Valley Forge 
through New Jersey, and was engaged at the battle of Monmouth. 
I remained with the army at White Plains during the campaigns of 
1779, 1780, 1781, 1782, and 1783, in the States of Connecticut, 
New York, and New Jersey. In October, 178G, I was again called 
into service, and appointed a captain in a battalion of artillery, com- 
manded by Major John Doughty. In 1787 and 1788 I was sta- 
tioned at West Point, inactive. In August, 1789, I was ordered 
with my company to join General Lincoln, Colonel Humphries, 
and Mr. Griffin, to Georgia, as commissioners to form a treaty 
with the Creek nation ; but through some misunderstanding the 
treaty failed. The next year it was again renewed, and accom- 
plished in New York. 1 then returned to New York, and raised a 
company. Was ordered back to Georgia, and built a foi't on St. 
Mary's river, then the boundaries of the United States. I remained 
in command until June, 1792 ; then, being promoted to a major, I 
joined the army at Pittsburg, raised for the defence of the fron- 
tiers, under the command of General Anthony Wayne. On the 
3()th April, 1793, we took boats and floated down the Ohio river 
to Legionville, and there spent the winter. In October (same 
year), the army marched six miles in advance of Fort Jefferson, 
80 or 90 miles from Cincinnati, into the enemy's country. On the 
23d December, 1793, I was ordered with a detachment, consisting 
of eight companies of infantry and one of artillery, with orders to 
take possession of the field of action of the 4th November, 1791, 
and there to fortify and establish a post, which was called Fort Re- 
covery. After completing the work, and recovering two brass field- 
pieces, which were sunk in a branch of the river Wabash, near the 
battle-ground, and collecting a great number of skulls (say 200), 
also many bones, we paid the last respects to those who fell on the 
4th November, 1791, by three times three from the same artillery 
that was lost on that fatal day, but now recovered by this detach- 
ment of the legion. I returned to the cantonment, and received a 
handsome compliment in general orders for my services. In Au- 



248 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

gust, 1794, the army marched into the enemy's country. On the 
20th of that month an action took phice, which resulted in the total 
defeat of the Indians ; and a peace took place, with a surrender of 
all the posts of ours in their possession. In September, 179G, I 
went with two companies to take possession and command at Fort 
IMackinaw, where I remained until 1800. I was then ordered to 
Washington, from whence I superintended the forts from Norfolk 
to Portland until the war of 1812, when I commanded at New 
York, Newport, New London, and Greenbush. At the close of 
the war in 1815, not being retained on the peace establishment, I 
returned to private life, a poor citizen, after serving my country 
for nearly 40 years. I have resided in this place with my wife 
ever since 1815, and have had G children, 4 of whom are now 
living." 

Gen. Burbeck was President of the Mass. Soc. Cin. 
from 184G to his death. He was buried at the Cedar Grove 
Cemetery, New London ; and over his grave the Society- 
erected a handsome granite monument, under the direction 
of a committee consisting of Hon. Robert G. Shaw, Gen. 
H. A. S. Dearborn, and Rev. A. L. Baury. Upon the front 
of the obelisk, on a shield, is the following inscription: — 

BRIGADIER-GENERAL HENRY BURBECK, 

Born in Boston, JNIass., June 8, 1754; 
Died at New London, October 2, 1848. 

Upon the cube on which tlie obehsk stands is en- 
graven : — 

The IMassachusetts Society of the Cincinnati dedicate this mon- 
ument to the memory of their late honored President. He was an 
officer of the United States from the commencement of the Revo- 
lutionary war until near the close of his life. By a patriotic and 
ftuthful discharge of the high and responsible duties of a gallant 
soldier and an exemplary citizen, lie became as justly and emi- 
nently distinguished as he was rightfully and universally respected. 

Erected MDCCCL. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 249 

Col. Wm. Burbeck, his father, was of English parentage, but b. 
Boston, 1715. and d. there 22 July, 1785. He was a carver, and his 
work is still visible on the Corinthian pillars in King's Chapel. 
He studied gunnery and artillery, and was many years stationed as 
gunner at Castle William in Boston Harbor. He was lieut.-col. 
of the artillery in the winter of 1775-76, and subsequently resumed 
his post at the Castle. 

Gen. Henry, by his wife Lucy E. Rudd, had : Susan Henrietta, 
23 Sept. 1815, m. Lieut. E. Kibby, and d. 15 Sept. 1839; Char- 
lotte Augusta, 8 Mar. 1818; Henry Wm., 31 May, 1819, d. 19 
Feb. 1840 ; Mart Elizabeth, 7 Mar. 1821, m. Chandler Smith, 
N.Y. ; William Henry ; John Cathcart, 1 Feb. 1826, resides 
in New London, Ct. 

WILLIAM HENRY BURBECK. 

Eldest son of Gen. Henry, whom he succ. in 1850; b. 
New London, 3 Oct. 1823 ; resides in that city. 

Jolju 33untam» 

He was b. Ipswich, Mass., 10 Dec. 1749 ; was a lieut. in 
Warner's Co. of Little's reg. at Bunker's Hill, and in the 
battles of Brooklyn, Trenton, and Princeton ; com. capt. 
of light infantry in M. Jackson's (8th) reg. 1 Jan. 1777, 
and in the battles with Burgoyne, relief of Fort Stanwix, 
l)attle of Monmouth, and capture of Stony Point ; served 
under Greene in 1780, and under La Fayette in Virginia, 
and was in the storm and capture of the British redoubt 
at Yorktown ; com. major 9 Jan. 1783. Col. John Brooks, 
who com. the 8th in the absence of Col. M. Jackson, 
said of Burnam that he was one of the best disciplina- 
rians and most gallant officers of the Revolution. He was 
one of the founders of Marietta, O., in 1788, and owned 
a valuable estate at the mouth of the Muskingum River ; 
but left it, and settled in Derry, N.H., where he died 8 June, 
1843. In 1872 John J. Doland was adm. as his successor. 

His descent from Dea. John^ BurnJiam, Sen., of Ipswich, 1635, who 
d. 5 Nov. 1694, and Mary his wife, was through ^o/m,^ who d. 1716, 

32 



250 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

and Sarali ; John,^ who m. Ann, dau, of Capt. Thomas Choate ; 

Samuel'^ (his father), who m. 17 Nov. 1743, Martha Story. Maj. 
John m. Abigail Collins, by whom he had — 

Samuel, a sea captain, com. a privateer in the war of 1812, lost 

at sea. 
Eliza, who m. John Doland. 
Abigail Maria, m. Jonathan Ireland. 
Charles, d. young. 

John, a merchant in Cincinnati, d. in Dunbarton of consurajition, 
and left two daus. : one m. Groesbeck of Cincin,, and the other 
a Gallagher. 
George, b. 1802, d. 1 Jan. 18ol, m. 1828 Eliza A. McNiel, and 
has four sons. 

He was of Stoughton, Mass., where he d. in Jan. 1785. 
In May, 1775, he was an ensign in Heath's reg. ; was a 
lieut. in Greaton's (24th) reg. at siege of Boston ; com. 
eapt.-lieut. in Crane's artillery 1 Jan. 1777, and served 
through the war. 

JJof|« ©allentrer. 

He was the son of Eliezer Callender, of Boston, and d. 
Alexandria, Va., in Oct. 1797. He was a member of Pad- 
dock's Artillery Co. before the Revolution, and com. a com- 
pany of artillery belonging to Gridley's reg. at the battle 
of Bunker's Hill. Having expended all his cartridges 
early in the action, a supply of six-pounder cartridges was 
sent him for his four-pounder guns, and he ordered his 
men out of the range of the enemy's shot, so that the car- 
tridges might be reduced, and thus enable him to resume 
his fire. At this moment Putnam rode up, ordered him 
back, and charged him with cowardice, upon which charge 
a court-martial, held shortly after the battle, sentenced 
him to be cashiered. He then joined Capt. John John- 
ston's Co., and in May, 1776, appears on the roll of Capt. 
Pierce's Co., in N.Y., as a " cadet." In the battle of 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 251 

Brooklyn, L.I., 26 Aug. 1776, he was wounded, his 
superior officers killed ; and he took command of the 
pieces, which were served Avith great coolness, courage, 
and effect until its close, when he was taken prisoner. 
Washington, as soon as he was exchanged, directed the 
sentence of the court-martial to be erased from the orderly 
book, restored him to his rank, and gave him command 
of several important stations. Capt.-lieut. in Crane's art. 
1 Jan. 1777, to the close of the war ; in Sullivan's R.I. 
campaign in 1778. After the war he was a merchant in 
Virginia. 

JOHN CALLENDER. 

Son of Capt. Eliezer, of Virginia, and nephew of Capt.- 
Lieut. John, whom he succ. in 1802. Assist. Sec. of the 
Society 1806-8 and 1809-21 ; Sec. 1821-33. He was b. 
Boston, 4 Feb. 1772 ; entered the Latin School in 1779 ; 
grad. at H. U. 1790 ; was an attorney, representative in 
the Mass. Legislature, and clerk of the Sup. Judicial Court ; 
was a lieut. in the Boston Light Infantry on its institution 
in 1798 ; and delivered the oration before the town authori- 
ties of Boston, July 4, 1797. Of him it was said by Rev. 
Dr. Baury : " He was the life of the Society and the 
soul of Concert Hall, That clarion voice has long been 
silent." He d. Boston, 20 Nov. 1833. 

Eliezer, his father, m. 23 Nov. 1768, Elizabeth, sister of Gov. 
Gore. John m. 23 Nov. 1794, Catharine Templeman of George- 
town, Md. ; had no issue. 

Of Boxford ; sergeant in Putnam's (5th) reg. 1 Jan. 
1777 ; com. ensign and quartermaster 1780 ; com. lieut. 
(same reg.) 7 May, 1782. He resided in Haverhill after 
the war, and was a government pensioner, and living in 
1820. 



252 BIOGKAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 



Of Haverhill, son of Jeremiah and Eunice (Taylor) 
Carleton ; b. 1742, d. Litchfield, N.H., June, 1816. He 
served in the Provincial army at Louisburg ; entered the 
Revol. army in Apr. 1775 ; was ensign and quartermaster 
in Sargent's (16th) reg. in 1776 ; lieut. in Bigelow's (15th) 
reg. 1777 ; transferred to McFarland's (invalid) reg. in Dec. 
1778, in consequence of general debility, and granted half- 
pay. After the war, he taught mathematics in Boston and 
elsewhere ; and published maps of N.H., Mass., and the 
U.S., and treatises on mathematics and navigation. He 
was a noted pedestrian. His widow Lydia was living in 
Francestown, N.H., in 1822. 

SILAS CASEY. 
Major-General Silas Casey was b. in East Greenwich, 
R.I., 12 July, 1807. His grandfather Silas, an extensive 
importing merchant before the Revolution, and his father 
Wanton, who was educated in France during Franklin's 
residence there, were natives of the same place. His 
grandmother, Coggeshall, descended from John Wanton, 
Governor of Rhode Island in the reign of George I. His 
maternal grandfather. Major Nathan Goodale, a valuable 
officer of the Revolutionary arni}^, to whom he succ. in the 
Society in 1870, and his mother, Elizabeth, were natives 
of Brookfield, Mass. Silas was celebrated in his youth 
for adventurous feats ; was educated at the academy in 
his native town, and at West Point ; and on graduating 
1 July, 1826, Avas app. brevet 2d lieut. in the Seventh 
Infantry, stationed at Fort Towson, Ark. Wliile here, 
he led a small party in a successful skirmish with some 
marauding Indians, whom he surprised and defeated with 

* Never contributed his month's pay to tlie Society. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 253 

loss. His subsequent commissions are as follows : 2d 
lieut. Second Infantry, 1829 ; assist, com. subsis. Feb. 1836 ; 
1st lieut. June, 1836 ; capt. July, 1839 ; bvt.-major for 
Contreras and Churubusco, 20 Aug. 1847 ; bvt.-lieut.-col. 
for Chapultepec, 13 Sept. 181T ; lieut.-col. 9th Inf. 3 Mar. 
1855 ; brig.-gen. of vols. 31 Aug. 1861 ; col. 4tli Inf. 9 
Oct. 1861; bvt.-brig.-gen. U.S.A., andmaj.-gen. vols, for 
Fair Oaks, 31 May, 1862; bvt.-maj.-gen. U. S. A. 13 Mar. 
1865, for gallant and merit, services during the Rebellion. 

During the Florida war he was app. captain, and com- 
mis. in a reg. of Creek Indian volunteers. He rejoined his 
company in Jan. 1840, and having distinguished himself in 
the battle of Pilaklikaha (19 Apr. 1842) was recom- 
mended by Col. Worth, his commander, for the brevet of 
major. He was actively engaged in Mexico in the battles 
of Contreras and Churubusco ; and at the storming of the 
Castle of Chapultepec, while leading his men through a ter- 
rible fire, was severely wounded in the abdomen when near 
the Mexican batteries, a wound Avhich confined him to his 
bed for a month. For his services and conduct in the war 
with Mexico, he received a beautiful silver vase from the 
inhabitants of his native town, and a resolution of thanks 
from the Legislature of R.I. In Nov. 1851, while sta- 
tioned in California, Casey attacked and defeated the 
Coquille River Indians, whom he completely subdued. 

In 1854 he was president of a board of officers which 
corrected and revised Hardee's light infantry tactics ; and 
also of that which adopted a manual for Colt's revolver 
pistol. In Mar. 1856, Lieut.- Col. Casey, in a campaign of 
25 days, completely subdued the Puget Sound Indians in 
Washington Territory. Pending the controversy between 
the U. S. and the British Government respecting the 
boundaries of each in that territory, Lieut.-Col. Casey, in 
obedience to orders, occupied and fortified San Juan Island, 



254 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

which place was, by agreement between Gen. Scott and 
the British authorities, afterward occupied jointly by the 
two nations. This question has been recently settled in 
favor of the U. S. by the arbitration of the Emperor of 
Germany. 

On arriving in New York, in Aug. 1861, he repaired to 
Washington, offered his services to government in sup- 
jDressing the Rebellion, and was assigned to the duty of 
organizing into brigades, discij^lining, and instructing the 
volunteer troops arriving there. On Mar. 20, 1862, he 
was assigned to the command of a division in the army of 
the Potomac, and accompanied it under Gen. McClellan 
to the Peninsula. Having been, contrary to his advice and 
opinion, ordered to Seven Pines (Fair Oaks), where his 
division was within six miles of Richmond, without support 
on either flank, — " pushed like a wedge into the presence 
of the enemy," — he commenced work energetically, — dig- 
ging rifle-pits and cutting abatis, to strengthen as much 
as possible his false position. Here, on May 31, Casey 
was attacked by an overwhelming force under Gens. 
Longstreet and Hill ; and, after a severe conflict of three 
hours, was driven from his position, with a loss of 1,430 in 
killed, wounded, and missing, out of a total force of less 
than 5,000 men. Says an eye-witness: "The veteran 
warrior Casey had been in the thickest of the fight, direct- 
ing and animating ; . . . and nearly one-third of his com- 
mand had found a soldier's death, or were maimed and 
helpless from the figlit." 

Besides his promotion. Gen. Casey received the thanks 
of the legislature of his native State for his bravery and 
skill in this battle. On June 30 he was relieved from the 
command of his division by Gen. McClellan, and ordered to 
the White House on the Pamunke}, where he successfully 
performed the duty of evacuating that depot, destroying 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 255 

those supplies that coiihl not be taken away. On Aug. 
11 he was again pkced on duty to receive, organize, and 
instruct the volunteers arriving at Washington; and on 
this date the system of tactics for the U. S. army by Casey 
was adopted by the government. During his period of 
duty in Washington, Gen. Casey equipped, organized, and 
in a preliminary maimer instructed about 300,000 volun- 
teer troops, a service of great importance to the country, 
admirably performed. He Avas in July, 1868, retired, at 
his own request, after active service for 12 years, and now 
resides in Brooklyn, N.Y. 

On July 12, 1840, he m. Abby P., dau. of Hon. Dutee 
J. Pearce of Newport, R.I. She d. in Washington City 10 
Mar. 1862, leaving five surviving children ; and July 12, 
1861, he m. Florida Gordoii of Washington. 

Of France ; com. lieut. in H. Jackson's (16th) reg. 24 
Apr. 1779 ; aide to Gen. Duportail ; in 3d reg. 1783. 

IHattijcU) <S:i)amt)trs. 

Of Chelmsford ; d. Dunstable, ab. 1809, leaving a widow, 
Martha. Lieut, in Varnum's (9th) reg. 1776 ; com. capt. 
in Nixon's (6th) reg. 11 Nov. 1779 ; served through the 
war. 

.Samuel itf^apin. 

He was b. Springfield, Mass., 18 June, 1750 ; was in 
Watchitoches, La., in 1810, and prob. d. there unm. He 
was a lieut. in Paterson's reg. in 1775-76 ; com. 2d lieut. 
in Shepard's (4th) reg. 1 Nov. 1777 ; com. 1st heut. 20 
Mar. 1779 ; afterward in H. Jackson's (4th) reg. 

His descent from Dea. Samttel^ Chapin, of Boston, 1641, who 
removed to Springfield in 1642, d. 11 Nov. 1675, and wife Cisily, 



256 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

was through Japhetr b. 1642, d. 20 Feb. 1712. m. 22 July, 1664, 
Abileuah Cooler : Samuel,^ h. 4 July, lG6o, d. 10 Oct. 1729. m. 24 
Dec. 1600, Hannah Sheldon; EUsha^{\\\s fother),b. 16 July, 1707, 
com. at Fort Massachusetts in 17o4, massacred by Indians at Hoc- 
sack near "Williamstown, 1 1 July, 1756, m. 30 Mar. 1737-38, Miriam, 
dau. of Joseph and Margaret Ely. His nephew Wm. Dewey, of 
Springtield, applied for admission unsuccessfully in 1853. 

STEPHEN ABBOTT CHASE. 
Eldest gr.-son of Capt. Stephen Abbott, whom he siicc. 
in 1803, by his dau. Marv, who m. Abijah Chase of Salem, 
where he was b. 1790, and where he now resides. He has 
no ehildi'en. 

e-alrt (Tlap. 

He was b. Hard wick, ]Mass., 9 Feb. 173:2, d. Greenfield, 
Mass., 5 June. ISli!. Lieut, and adjutant of Wesson's 
(9th) reg. 1TTT-S2 : com. capt. 9 Apr. 17S2; in H. 
Jackson's (4th) reg. in 1783. He m. a Miss Stone of Rut- 
land, and removed to Greenfield, which he represented 
in the General Court. George C. Trumbull, his eldest 
gr.-son. by a dau., was adm. to the Society in 1873. 

Sos|)ua C^Iap- 

Twm bro. of Cajn. Caleb ; d. Xov. 1810, at Mont- 
gomery, Franklin Co., Vt., where he settled in 1793. Com. 
lieut. in M. Jackson's (8th) reg. 1 Jan. 1777. and severely 
wounded at Stillwater ; afterward in Wesson's (9th) reg. 
as lieut. and quarterm. Representative of M. in Vt. 
Legislature in 1803-7 and 1808-10. His widow, Nabbv 
(Barnard), afterward m. a Mr. Goodspeed. Their sons, 
Joel and Caleb, were both Episcopal clergymen. 

REV. JOEL CLAPP, D.D. 

Son of Joshua, whom he succ. in 1838 ; b. Montgomery, 
Vt., 11 Sept. 1793 : d. Claremont, X.H., 23 Feb. 1861. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 257 

Middleb. Coll. 1820 ; DA), of Norw. U. 1849 ; Prot. Epis. 

clergyman of Gardiner, Me., afterward rector of Immanuel 

Church, Bellows Falls, Vt. 

Charles Baknard Clapp, of Gardiner, is his eldest 

son. 

JOSEPH HILL CLARIi. 

Adra. in 181G, in right of his father, Capt. Joseph, a 
memher of the Ct. Soc. Capt. Clark was conductor of 
mil. stores belonging to Mass. stationed A\dth second Ct. 
l)rigade (app. 1 Dec. 1776), resigned 10 Mar. 1781 ; d. 
Boston, 1 Aug. 1814, a?. 59, leaving a widow, Judith, who 
was living at the age of 83 in 1844. 

Pttcr (tlayitH. 

He was b. Framingham, Mass., 28 ]\Iar. 1754 ; ensign 
in Nixon's (Ctli) reg. 1776 ; com. lieut. 1777 ; com. capt. 
13 Apr. 1780. Selectman of Framingham six years ; re- 
moved to Bridgeport, Vt., in 1803, and d. there 1834. 

His descent from John} of Watertown, 1G39, was through Peter,' 
b. 27 May, 1639, (1. 18 July, 1708; James? and wife Mary; James, 
Jr.* (his father), 1>. 10 June, 1710, d. Jan. 1708, m. 2d Abigail 
Gleason, 28 May, 1740. 

Peter m. Jan. 178.">, Polly Xixon, and had : Polly, 22 July, 1785, 
m. Harris of Bridgeport, Vt. ; Sophia, 2b Sept. 1786, d. unm. 1804 ; 
Naxcy, 5 June, 1788, d. young; Amy, 23 Mar. 1790, m. Hemmen- 

way, and d. young ; Daxa ; Fraxcis, bap. June, 1794, m. 

Crowfoot, Vt. ; Geouge, bapn July, 1796, m. in Shelburne, Vt. ; 
SuKEY, bap. Nov. 1798, d. 1802. 

Ri:v. daxa clayes. 

He was b. Framhigham, Oct. 1792 ; succ. his father, 
Capt. Peter, in 1844 ; Middleb. Coll. 1815 ; Andover Sem. 
1820 ; ordained 4 July, 1821 ; Pastor Congregational 
Church in Meriden, N.H., 1821-37 ; Home Missionary 
in Vassalboro', Industry, Jefferson, &c.. Me., 1841-51 ; 
resides in Wakefield, Mass. 

33 



7 



258 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 



He Wiisb. in Attleborough, Mass., 14 Sept. 1748 ; d. Bos- 
ton, 17 i^pril, 1830 ; H. U. 176G. The celebrated INIaster 
Marsh, of Old Braintree (now Quincy), j)repared him for 
college. After his graduation, he commenced the study 
of medicine, under Dr. Perkins, and was engaged in suc- 
cessful practice in his native place, when the Revolutionary 
movement began, in which he was an early and prominent 
actor. He was secretary of the Bristol Co. Convention in 
1774 ; and, as a member of the General Court convened in 
Oct. 1774, was the colleague of Robert Treat Paine, a signer 
of the Declaration of Independence. Early in 1777 he 
was commissioned lieut.-col. in Henry Jackson's (16th) 
reg., in which he encountered some hard service, particu- 
larly at S23ringfield, N.J. ; at Monmouth ; and at Quaker 
Hill, R.I., where he led what may be called a forlorn 
hope, to delay with 20 men the progress of the Hessian 
cavahy. His activity, talent, and high military qualities- 
attracted the attention of the Commander-in- chief, who, on 
15 June, 1781, appointed him one of his aides, in which 
capacity he participated in the capture of Cornwallis. He 
remained in this position until 1784, having also been com. 
lieut.-col. commanding the 5th reg. (late Rufus Putnam's) 
7 Jan. 1783, and a brig. -gen. by brevet. 

After the Commander-in-chief took leave of the army. 
Col. Cobb passed considerable time at Mt. Vernon, as a 
member of Gen. Washington's military family. Next to the 
high personal regard which he entertained for the General, 
was his great admiration of Lady Washington, whom he 
was fond of quoting as his beau-ideal of womanly grace and 
loveliness. It is said Gen. Washington usually retired to 
his library from the dinner-table, where he often engaged 
in social conversation. On one occasion, when Col. Cobb 




/^i^^^^ 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 259 

was witli him there, Gen. Washington broke the silence 
by sa3dng he felt a great solicitude about the prospects 
of the people of Massachusetts. " The climate," said he, 
" is cold and trying, the soil sterile and unproductive. 
The best crop AA-ould be of stones : you can raise a few 
onions, perhaps, but little else. While we in Virginia 
are favored with a most salubrious climate, and with a soil 
as rich and productive as the sun ever shone upon." Col. 
Cobb replied : " Sir, we have our heads and our hands." 
Gen. Washington then smiled, an unusual thing for him 
to do. 

Surely, what would New England, with its cold and in- 
hospitable climate, and its uninviting soil, have been to- 
day, but for the heads and hands of its early inhabitants ? 

Returning to his home early in 1784, Col. Cobb resumed 
his profession, and was in that year app. to the bench of 
the Court of Common Pleas, where he continued 12 years, 
and was also maj.-gen. of the 5th div. Mass. militia in 
1786-93. 

During the insurrectionary movements in Massachusetts 
in 1786, when the courts of justice were threatened by 
lawless and desperate men, determined to impede the pro- 
cesses of the law for the collection of debts, Judge Cobb 
resolved to support the court and the laws. " The militia 
were ordered out. The robe of the judge was thrown 
aside, the martial garb resumed. Court day arrived. 
Sounds ominous and threatening arose from the mob ; but 
when the citizen-soldiers were seen steady at their posts, 
extended in double lines from the doors of the court- 
house, — when the resolute demeanor of the commander 
was observed, — the tone of defiance sunk to that of re- 
monstrance, and the general was entreated to withdraw 
his soldiers. ' Away with your whining ! ' was his deter- 
mined and memorable reply. ' I will hold this court if I 



260 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

hold it in blood. I will sit as a Judge, or I will die as a 
General.' In an instant all was qnieted : the mob stole 
off secretly and silently, and the laws triumphed." 

A somewhat similar scene was enacted in October of the 
same year, upon the opening of the session of the Supreme 
Court. " On one side of the village [Taunton] was posted 
a large body of armed insurgents : on the other, the 
supporters of government, the defenders of the laws. 
The cannon were planted, the matches were lighted and 
waving. Had the government selected for their com- 
mander one who was either rash or timid, that peaceful 
village might have witnessed transactions equal in atrocity 
to the most horrible of the French Revolution. The re- 
si)onsibility Avas great, but the man was equal to the emer- 
gency. He drew a line with his sword on the ground, 
and said to the rebel leader, 'Pass that line and I fire, 
the blood be upon your own head.' Again the laws tri- 
umphed : the court sat in peace, the insurgents dispersed ; 
and from that day to this, in that county, not an arm has 
been raised to resist the civil authority." 

Elected in May, 1789, sole representative of Taunton to 
the General Court, he was at once chosen speaker, retain- 
ing that position until 1793, when he became a member of 
the Third Congress. In 1795 he settled with his family 
in Maine, as agent of the " Bingham Purchase ; " and in 
1799 was appointed agent of the proprietors of Goulds- 
boro'. Me. 

In 1802 he was made a senator from the eastern district, 
and was immediately elected president of that body, a post 
he held for three years. He was in 1808 elected to the 
council ; Avas Lieut.-Gov. of Mass. in 1809 ; was one of the 
Board of Military Defence during the war of 1812 ; Chief 
Justice C. C. P. for Hancock Co. in 1803-9 ; and maj.-gen. 
of the loth div. of the State militia in 1813. He took 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. ' 261 

up his final residence in Taunton in 1820. Gen. Cobb 
received the honorary degree of Master of Arts from New 
Jersey College in 1783, and from Brown University in 
1790 ; was a member of the American Academy of Arts and 
Sciences and of the Mass. Medical Society, and was Vice- 
President of the Mass. Society of the Cincinnati in 1810. 

Gen. Cobb was the parent of the flourishing academy 
at Taunton ; and, whenever any public good was to be 
effected, was active and efficient, contributing from his 
own resources to the full extent of his means. As a phy- 
sician, he was sagacious, learned, and eminently successful. 
As a soldier, he was fearless and inti'epid, calm and collected 
in danger, rapid and decisive in judgment, and prompt in 
execution. To the courts he brought a competent knowl- 
edge of the law. Although he was not a lawyer, his clear 
perceptions and strong sense enabled him to detect sophis- 
try, and to remove the impediments with which artifice 
and legal ingenuity too often contrive to embarrass the 
progress of justice. A Federalist in politics, he was dis- 
tinguished for his love of order and his attachment to the 
Constitution. As the presiding officer of a public body, 
he was unrivalled. Graceful and dignified in his deport- 
ment, he despatched the public business with ease and 
facility, and won by his impartial performance of the duties 
of the chair the praise even of his adversaries. His man- 
ners and disposition were pleasing ; his wit and humor, his 
fund of anecdote, and above all his powers of conversation, 
his vivacity, and flow of language, made him the delight of 
his friends, and a most acceptable guest at the social board. 

Hon. Joseph Williamson, of Belfast, Me., thus describes 
the general's appearance and manners : " In stature he 
was large, and had a full face and over-awing eye. He 
was hasty in temper, and expressed himself wdth much 
energy and a most commanding voice. I have heard him 



262 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

order a lawyer to silence, and to his seat, with a power of 
voice and feeling that was almost overwhelming. On a 
certain occasion, supposing that an attorney at the bar was 
guilty of a fraudulent act, he exclaimed with great force, 
while on the bench, ' A dishonest lawyer ! he is worse than 
the devil, for he violates personal confidence and a sacred 
oath ! ' His costume was that of the Revolution. When 
he attended court, he wore a tri-cocked hat, broad-backed 
coat, a single-breasted jacket w4th pocket-flaps, breeches 
with bands and buckled at the knee, and high white top- 
boots. He walked with a measured gait, his military air 
having become second nature." 

His descent from Austen ^ or Augustine ^ Cohh was through Mor- 
gan;^ b. 29 Dec. 1673, d. 30 Sept. 1755, m. 22 May, 1735, Esther 
Hodges ; Thomas ^ (his father), who m. Lydia, eklest dau. of James 
Leonard of Taunton. Col. David m. in 17GG Eleanor Bradish, 
and had — 

Eleanor, 23 Mar. 1767, m. James Hodges, d. 30 Oct. 1842. 
Betsey, 5 June, 1768, d. Apr. 1830, m. P2benezer Smith. 
Thomas, 29 Jan. 1772, d. Oct. 1844, m. Abby Hall. 
William Gray, 10 Feb. 1773, unm., killed 4 Nov. 1791, in 

battle with the Indians, being an ensign under Gen. St. Clair. 
Eunice, 17 Nov. 1774, d. 6 June, 1826, m. 1792 Hon. S. S. 

Wilde, and had nine children. 
Mary, 26 July, 1776, d. 17 Oct. 1851, m. Col. John Black, of 

Ellsworth, Me. 
David, 3 Apr. 1778, unm., killed by Indians on N. W. Coast, 

24 Oct. 1794. 
Sally, 15 Jan. 1780, d. ai. ab. 17. 
Ehenezer Bradish, 30 Oct. 1781, d. bef. 1840. 
Henry Jackson, 18 Dec. 1784, d. unm. July, 1848. 
Geo. Washington, 14 Jan. 1790, m. Abby Crocker, dau. of 

Hon. Samuel of Taunton. After d. of bro. David in 1794, G. W. 

prefixed David to his name ; d. 27 Feb. 1832. His children 

were: George Thomas; Samuel Crocker, m. 1848; Elizabeth 

Baylies, m. Baylies Sanford of Boston ; Sarah Crocker, m. 

Curtis Guild of Boston. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 263 



SAMUEL CROCKER COBB. 

Son of David G. W., grand-son of Gen. David, whom 
he succeeded in 1856 ; b. in Taunton, 22 May, 1826. He 
is a prominent merchant of Boston ; was an alderman of 
tlie city of Roxl)ury in 1861 and 1862, and of Boston in 
1868 ; is now president of the Roxbury Charitable Society, 
and holds other imjjortant public trusts. He has upon 
various occasions manifested his active interest in the wel- 
fare of the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati ; was 
its Secretary from 1865 to 1871 ; and since that date has 
been its Vice-President. He married Aurelia L. Beattie in 
1848. Has no children. 

dittos (itOflSUJfU. 

He was b. Haverhill, Mass., 2 Oct. 1752; d. Dover, 
N.H., 28 Jan. 1826. Ensign in his brother's (Capt. 
Thomas) Co. in Col. S. Gerrish's reg. in May, 1775 ; lieut. 
in L. Baldwin's reg. in 1776 ; com. capt. in Wesson's (0th) 
reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; served to the end of the Avar, having 
been present at the siege of Boston, and the battles of 
Trenton, Princeton, and Monmouth. Representative of 
Dover in the N.H. Legislature in 1807-10, 1812, 1814-15 ; 
and in the senate in 1818-20. 

His descent from John ^ Cogswell, of Ipswich, who came from 
London in 1635, d. 29 Nov. 1G69, and his wife Elizabeth, was 
throngh William,'^ b. 1619, d. ab. 1700 ; John,'' b. 1650, d. ab. 1710, 
and wife Hannah; Nathaniel* of Haverhill (his father), b. 19 Jan. 
1707, d. 23 Mar. 1783, who m. 31 Jan. 1739, Judith, dan. of Joseph 
-Badger, by whom he had 19 children, eight of whom served in the 
Revohitionary army. 

Amos m. 20 Nov. 1785, Lydia (Baker), widow of Capt. S. 
Wallingford, and had — 

Sophia, 20 July, 1786, m. J. M. Currier of Dover, d. 18 Sept. 
1817, leaving several children. 



7 



264 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Elizabeth, 8 June, 1788, d. 18 Nov. 1804. 

Francis, 16 Apr. 1790, m. Elizabeth Smith of Boscawen. 

Abkjail, 2i) Oct. 1701, m. Dr. Smart of Kennebuiik, and d. 2 

June, 1827. 
Lydia, 30 May, 1793, m. Hon. Paul Wentworth 30 Mar. 1814. 

Samuel CtoflsUJcU. 

A relative of Amos and Thomas ; com. lieut. in H. Jack- 
son's (16th) reg'. 1 July, 1777 ; clep. judge advocate in 
Brooks's (7th) in 1783. 

K\)onun Coflstflrll. 

He was elder bro. of Amos ; b. Haverhill, Mass., 4 Aug. 
1746 ; d. Gilmanton, N.H., 3 Sept. 1810. Capt. in S. Ger- 
rish's, afterward L. Baldwin's reg. 22 June, 1775 ; present 
at Bunker's Hill and siege of Boston ; com. maj. in Vose's 
(1st) reg. 21 Feb. 1777, serving to the close of the war. 
At the peace he settled in Gilmanton, N.H., where he was 
frequently selectman, and was chief justice of C. C. P. 
from 1784 to 1810. 

He m. 2G Feb. 1770, Ruth, dau. of Gen. Joseph Badger, and 
had — 

Natiianikl, b. 19 Jan. 1773, d. Red River, La. or Ark., Aug. 

1813; Dartm. Coll. 1794. 
Judith, who m. Hon. Nathaniel Upham of Rochester. 
Thomas, killed in the war of 1812, at Chateauguay, N.Y., 2G Oct. 

1813. 
William. 
Fkancis, b. 24 Apr. 1787, Dartm. Coll. 1811, a lieut. in tlie army, 

and d. Plattsburg, N.Y., 8 Dec. 1812. 
Pearson, Frederick, and Alfred. 

JPijomas fL^ollin (tontiv. 

He was b. Boston, 1757, d., Pawtucket, R.I., 29 Aug. 
1833. Com. 2d lieut. in H. Jackson's (16th) reg. 1 Feb. 
1777; adjutant, 27 Oct. 1778—9 Apr. 1779 ; com. 1st lieut. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 265 

1 Mar. 1779; reg. qiiarterm. 1 Jan. 1782 — July, 1784 ; 
paj-m. from May, 1783 ; distinguished at Quaker Hill, 
R.I., in Aug. 1778, and at Springfield, N.J., in June, 1780 ; 
and was a brave officer and a good disciplinarian. He had 
a facetious disposition and an unfailing fund of good humor. 
He m. in June, 1789, Polly Aborn, of Patuxet, and removed 
to R.I. in 1797. His dau., Mary Ann Howe, was living 
in Dec. 1851. 

He was b. Weston, Mass., 12 Mar. 1751 ; d. Portland, 
Me., 27 Oct. 1823. Before the Revolution he was a butcher 
in Boston, and a member of Paddock's Artillery Co. ; com. 
1st lieut. Knox's art. 1 Jan. 1776 ; capt. in Crane's art. 14 
Mar. 1778. The night before the battle of Monmouth, he 
slept on a gun-carriage, and dreamed that his lieut. was 
shot through the body, precisely as he himself was in the 
battle that ensued. 

HORATIO GATES COOK. 

Only son of Capt. David, whom he succ. in 1824 ; b. 
1784, d. Portland, Me., ab. 1862. 

Of Danvers ; was an ensign in Hutchinson's reg. in 1775- 
76 ; lieut. in Putnam's (5th) reg. 1777-82 ; com. capt. in 
Sprout's (2d) reg. 7 Jan. 1783 ; removed to Ohio in 1788 ; 
and was living at Warrenton, O., in 1807. 

Samuel (Snooper, 

Of Boston ; was living in Georgetown, D.C., in 1839, 
aged 82. He was one of the famous " Tea Party ; " com. 
2d lieut. Crane's art. 1 Feb. 1777 ; quartern!. 14 May, 
1778 ; lieut. and adjutant, 1783. Inspector of pot and 
pearl ashes in N.Y. city and county, 1808-30. Probably 
father of Samuel Cooper, adj.-gen. U. S. A. (1852-61). 

34 



266 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

He was son of Andrew and Elizabetli Craigie ; b. Bos- 
ton, 7 June, 1743 ; d. Cambridge, Mass., 19 Sept. 1819. 
Apothecary gen. of the army, 1 Jan. 1777-31 Dec. 1780 ; 
originally a member of the N.Y. Society. March 5, 1791, 
he purchased the Vassal estate (Washington's head-quar- 
ters), for <£3,750, and made it his residence. It is now the 
house of the poet Henry W. Longfellow. He was one of 
the projectors and corporators of the bridge from West 
Boston to Lechmere's Point, Cambridge, designated by 
his name. 

Joijn (tvant. 

Col. Crane, commander of the Massachusetts reg. of 
artillery in the continental service during the Revolu- 
tionary war, was b. Braintree, Mass., 7 Dec. 1744, and d. 
at Whiting, Me., 21 Aug. 1805. His education was scanty, 
and we first find him following the trade of a house car- 
penter in Boston, his shoj) and residence in Tremont Street, 
opposite Hollis, being Avhile we write (April, 1873) in 
jjrocess of demolition. One of the famous " Tea Party," 
in Dec. 1773, his career came near being prematurely 
ended, by the fall of a chest of tea upon his head, which 
knocked him senseless. Some of his companions, supposing 
him killed, secreted the body under a pile of shavings in 
a carpenter shop, adjoining the wharf near which the ves- 
sel lay ; but, having received no serious injury, he soon 
recovered. 

He was a member of the artillery company of Adino 
Paddock, famous for having furnished a large number of 
valuable officers to that arm of the service in the Revolu- 
tionary army, among whom may be named Ebenezer Ste- 
vens (also one of the " Tea Party "), William Perkins, 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 267 

Heniy Burbeck, John Lillie, and David Bryant. It was 
composed wholly of mechanics, and was distinguished for 
its discipline and skill. 

House building- and many other branches of industry 
having been paralyzed by the " Boston Port Bill," which 
went into operation on June 1, 1774, Crane with his part- 
ner, Ebenezer Stevens, went to Providence, R.I. Here, 
upon receiving the news of the battle of Bunker's Hill, 
they raised two companies of artillery, with which they 
marched to Roxbury, and joined Gridley's reg.. Crane 
receiving the com. of major, and Stevens that of captain, 
in the R.I. " Train." 

Crane was constitutionally bold and daring, as well as 
ambitious of military glory ; and, possessing a remarkably 
keen vision, was exceedingly skilful as an artillerist, a tal- 
ent he had frequent opportunities to display during the 
siege of Boston, one of which occurred soon after his arri- 
val in camp. On July 8, 1775, a little after two o'clock in 
the morning. Majors Tupper and Crane, with a number of 
volunteers, attacked the British advanced guard at Brown's 
House, on Boston Neck, routed them, and burned two 
houses. This was regarded as a very " brave action," and 
" well performed." During the siege he commanded a 
breastwork on Boston Neck. 

Com. maj. in Knox's art. reg. 1 Jan. 1776, he accompa- 
nied the army to New York ; and while cannonading a Brit- 
ish frigate which was running past his batteries at Corlaer's 
Hook, on Sept. 14th, was severely wounded by a cannon- 
ball, which carried off a part of his foot, disabling him for 
several months, and finally causing his death, the wound 
having reopened. Com. col. 1 Jan. 1777, he raised a reg. 
in Mass., officered chiefly of those who had been trained 
under Paddock, Gridley, and Knox ; a corps not exceeded 
in discipline, valor, and usefulness by any in the service. 



268 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

It was principally employed with the main army, and near 
the person of the Commander-in-chief, and was relied on 
as an essential auxiliary in the most important battles. No 
military organization in that army participated in so many 
eventful scenes or won more laurels. Besides the actions 
of the main army, portions of it were with Sullivan in the 
R.I. campaign, with Gates at Saratoga, and in the heroic 
defence of Red Bank on the Delaware. 

He was brevetted a brig.-gen. 30 Sept. 1783, and after 
the peace formed a partnership with Maj. Lemuel Trescott, 
in the lumber business, at Passamaquoddy, Me., in which 
they were unsuccessful. The connection was dissolved, and 
he finally settled in Whiting, Washington Co., Me. 

" Col. Crane," says Gen. Burbeck, " possessed great reso- 
lution, energy, and courage, and was at the same time per- 
fectly cool and gentlemanl}- in danger ; in short, he was 
Gen. Knox's factotum in cases of emergency." Though 
entitled to a pension on account of his wound, which had 
to some extent disabled him, he was too high spirited to 
accept such assistance ; but ill health and poverty finally 
overcame his scruples, and just previous to his death he 
made his application. 

His descent from Henry '^ Crane of Dorchester, b. 1624, was 
through Ebenezer^ of Milton, b. 10 Aug. 1665, who was in the 
Canada Expedition of 1G90, and Mary Tolman ; Ahijah ^ (his father), 
who m. 3 Mar. 1733, Sarah Field, who d. 3 Sept. 1742, and 2d, 7 
Jan. 1743, Sarah Beverley. Their children were Col. John, Abijah, 
and Miriam. Col. Crane m. in 1767 Miss Wheeler, and had — 

JoHX, 1768, d. 1835. 

Abijah. 

Isaac. 

Alice, 1770, d. 1841, m. William Allan, 

Mehitable, 1779, d. 1846, m. John Allan. 

Charlotte, 1782, d. 1840, m. Horatio Gates Allan. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 269 

Of Hanover, N.H. ; surgeon of Vose's (1st), afterward 
of C. Smith's (6th) reg. (1T81-83) ; d. 1805. 

JOHN HUNTINGTON CRANE, 

Only son of Surgeon John Crane, whom he succ. in 
1809 ; b. Hanover, N.H., 1780 ; d. Louisville, Ky., 26 Sept. 
1822 ; Dartm. Coll. 1799. He read law, began practice in 
Strafford, Vt., removed to Boston, and afterward to San- 
dusky, O., and finally to Louisville, Ky. He never married. 

He was son of Rev. Josiah, of Taunton ; b. 24 Feb. 
1749, d. 13 Nov. 1797; H. U. 1774 ; com. lieut. in Grea- 
ton's (3d) reg. 16 Sept. 1778; resigned 24 July, 1781, 
having performed four years and nine months' service in 
the army. First Assist. Sec. of the Society, 1794-98. 

His descent from William^ Crocker, of Scituate in 1G36, and 
wife Alice, was through Josiah^^ b. Barnstable 1 9 Sept. 1 647, d. 2 
Feb. 1698, who m. Melatiah, dau. of Gov. Thos. Hinckley, 22 Oct. 
1668; Josiah,^ h. 8 Feb. 1684, d. 10 Oct. 1721, who m. 10 Apr. 
1718, Desire Thacher ; Rev. Josiah * of Taunton (his father), b. 30 
Oct. 1719, d. 28 Aug. 1774, and Rebecca, dau. of Ebenezer Allen. 

Joseph m. 15 Apr. 1779, Hannah, dau. of Rev. Samuel Mather 
of Boston, b. 27 June, 1752, d. 10 July, 1829. Their children were : 

Hannah Mather, 26 Oct. 1780, m. Samuel Parker, and d. 13 
Nov. 1832. 

Samuel Mather, 10 May, 1783, d. 9 Mar. 1852. 

Rebecca Allen, 6 Dec. 1784, d. 15 Apr. 1837. 

Joseph Allen, 13 Jan. 1786, d. Sept. 5, 1786. 

Joseph Allen, 1 Oct. 1787, d. 30 Apr. 1817. 

Maria Stevens, 17 Apr. 1789, d. 29 Jan. 1791. 

William Shaw, 19 Mar. 1790, d. 25 Sept. 1805. 

Maria Stevens, 28 Aug. 1791, d. 14 Feb. 1796. 

James Bowdoin, 25 Feb, 1793. 

Eliza Clark, 15 Feb. 1795, d. 22 May, 1870. 



270 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

SAMUEL MATHER CROCKER. 

Eldest son of Capt. Joseph, whom he succ. in 1804 ; b. 
10 May, 1783 ; d. Milford, Mass., 9 JNIar. 1852 ; H. U. 1801. 
He practised Law successively in Douglas, Uxbridge, Fitch- 
burg, and Milford, Mass. 

SAMUEL MATHER CROCKER, 

Eldest son of S. M. Crocker, whom he succ. in 1855 ; 
resides in Milford, Mass. 

jFlorcncc a^roiulcg. 

Sergt. in John Johnston's Co. Knox's art. in Feb. 1776 ; 
2d lieut. in Crane's art. 1 Jan. 1777 ; com. 1st lieut. 
1 Oct. 1778. A certificate from Gen. Knox, dated West 
Point, 12 July, 1783, says of Lieut. Crowley, " that in the 
discharge of his duty he has at all times approved him- 
self an attentive, brave, and intelligent officer." He was 
living in Boston in 1793. 

■Natfjanirl Cusljinij. 

He was b. Pembroke, Mass., 8 Apr. 1753 ; received a 
common school education, and learned the trade of a house- 
carpenter, which he followed near Boston when the Revo- 
lutionar}^ war broke out. Com. a lieut. in Trescott's Co. 
of Brewer's reg. in July, 1775 ; first lieut. same Co. in 
A. Whitcomb's (6th) reg. Jan. 1776; capt. in Paterson's, 
afterward Vose's (1st) reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; in Rufus Put- 
nam's reg. in 1780 ; brigade major, 1 Dec. 1781 ; engaged 
in many battles and skirmishes, and noted as a most suc- 
cessful partisan officer. In May, 1780, while stationed at 
the outposts of the so-called " neutral ground " between 
Kingsbridge and White Plains, N.Y., he surprised and cap- 
tured a detachment of De Lancey's corps of Tories, and 
being pursued by Col. Simcoe's mounted rangers rej)ulsed 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 271 

the attacks of that officer, and reached his post unmolested, 
with all the prisoners. For his bravery and skill in this 
affair, he was highly complimented by the Commander-in 
chief. After the war, he removed from Boston to Marietta, 
O., where, soon after his arrival in Aug. 1788, he was com. 
by Gov. St. Clair as a capt., and in 1797 colonel of the first 
reg. of militia. One of the founders of the Belprd colony 
in 1789, and d. there in Aug. 1814. 

His descent from Matthew'^ Ousliing, of Hingham, 1G38, b. 1588, 
d. 30 Sept. 16 GO, and his wife Nazareth Pitcher, was through John,^ 
b. 1627, who was an assistant in 1689-91, d. 1708, who m. in 1656 
Sarah, dau. of Nicholas Jacob; John,Jr.^, b. 28 Apr. 1662, d. 1737, 
Judge of the Sup. Court, who ni. 20 May, 1687, Deborah Loring 
of Hull ; Elijah,'^ b. 2 Mar. 1698, who m. EHzabeth Barker in 1724 ; 
Elijah, JrJ" (his father). 

He m. in Nov. 1775, Elizabeth Heath, by whom he had six sons 
and six daughters : of these were Nathaniel, Henry, Varnum, 
Thomas, Sally, and Elizabeth, all of whom m. and settled in 
Ohio. 

Gen. Thomas Humphrey Cushing was b. Pembroke, 
Mass., in Dec. 1755. He was a sergeant in his brother 
Nathaniel's company in 1776, and was in Arnold's naval 
battle on Lake Champlain ; com. 2d lieut. in Paterson's, 
(afterward Vose's) reg. 28 Mar. 1777; 1st lieut. 12 
Jan. 1778, and was taken prisoner 14 May, 1781. App. 
captain 2d U. S. Inf. 4 Mar. 1791, serving under Gen. St. 
Clair ; major 1st sub. legion, 3 Mar. 1793 ; inspector, 24 
Feb. 1797 ; adjutant and inspector of the army, 1 Apr. 
1802 ; col. 2d Inf. 7 Sept. 1805 ; adj. -gen. and brig.-gen. 
2 July, 1812, and commanded at Stonington, Ct., when the 
attack of the British squadron under Admiral Hardy was 
repulsed in 1814 ; collector of the port of New London 
from Jan. 1815 until his death, 19 Oct. 1822. He fought 
a duel with Mr. Lewis, M. C. from Va., in which his life 



\ 



272 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

was saved by his watch, which was struck by his adver- 
sary's ball. An account of Gen. Cushing's trial by court- 
martial was published in 1812. 

J3cn|amin Buna. 

He was b. Boston, 24 Feb. 1752 ; d. unm. in that city, 3 
Apr. 1836. Lieut, in Wigglesworth's (13th) reg. ; com. 
1st lieut. 1 Feb. 1778 ; in Sullivan's campaign in R.I., and 
served through the war. 

His descent from Richard^ Dana, of Cambridge, 1640, d. 2 Api'il, 
1690, m. ab. 1648 to Anne Bullard, was through Benjamin^' b. 20 
Feb. 1660, d. 13 Aug. 1738, m. 24 May, 1688, Mary Buckminster ; 
Benjamin,^ b. 28 Apr. 1689, lived in Brighton, d. 5 June, 1751, m. 
23 July, 1724, Anna Francis ; John^ (his father), b. 10 July, 1725, 
d. 26 Dec. 1793, m. in 1748 Abigail Smith. 

ISAAC DANA. 

Only surviving bro. of Benjamin, succ. him in 1837 ; b. 
9 Dec. 1768 ; was a carpenter by trade ; and d. in Water- 
town in 1837. He m. Hannah Fisher, and had — 

Ann, 24 Apr. 1795. Roxanna, 22 Dec. 1806. 

Sakah C, 14 Apr. 1800. Jane E., 19 Dec. 1807. 

Hannah, 25 June, 1802. Emeline, 5 June, 1810. 

Benjamin, 16 June, 1804. Isaac, 27 Sept. 1812. 

BENJAMIN DANA. 
Eldest son of Isaac, succ. him in 1846 ; b. 16 June, 1804, 
d. in 1865 ; m. Martha Stratton. 

Josljua Banfoi'Uj, 

Son of Joshua, who commanded a battalion at the battle 
of Bennington ; was b. in Western (now AVarren), Mass., 
26 Nov. 1759 ; d. Pittsfield, Mass., 30 Jan. 1837. 

Young Danforth, who was qualifying himself for college 
when the llevolutionary war began, entered his father's 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 273 

company as its clerk at the age of 15, discharging at the 
same time the duties of surgeon's mate. He yvas made 
ensign in 1776 ; lieut. and paymaster in 1778 ;^lst lieut. 
Sprout's (12th) reg. 28 July, 1780 ; and in 1788 was in 
Sprout's (2d) reg. 

Present at the siege of Boston, 1775-76 ; surrender 
of Burgoyne, 17 Oct. 1777 ; winter quarters at Valley 
Forge, 1777-78 ; battle of Monmouth, 28 June, 1778 ; Sul- 
livan's R.I. campaign, 1778 ; and in 1781 commanded for 
some months a post on the Hudson near Tappan Bay, and 
was engaged in several skirmishes with the enemy. 

In May, 1784, he removed to Pittsfield and engaged in 
business with Col. Simon Larned. Aide-de-camp to Gen. 
Paterson, 1787 ; postmaster of Pittsfield from 17H4 to his 
death ; several times a representative in the legislature ; 
Associate Justice of the Co. Court of Sessions •1807, and 
its Chief Justice in 1808; U. S. Marshal for the 18th Dis- 
trict, also Principal Assessor and Collector of the U. S. 
Revenue (app. by Mr. Madison) ; member of the Gov- 
ernor's council in 1827-28 ; and also held many town 
offices. Capt. in McCobb's reg. U. S. vols. Nov. 1812 ; 
capt. 45th U. S. Inf. Apr. 1814 — June, 1815. 

By Ills first wife Salome, dan. of Hon. David Noble of Williams- 
town, m. 15 Jan. 178(3, who d. ;!<) Jan. 1837, he had — 
Maria, 6 April, 1792. 
Henrietta, 20 Oct. 1793. 
Harriet D., 8 Dec. 1795. 
Joshua Noble. 

Amelia, 4 July, 1801, who m. Roberts. 

Georgk Washington, a teacher. ) „ . 

Samuel Adams, 5 May, 1804, d. 1866. \ 
Salome, 23 Apr. 1808. * 

Frances E., 24 Nov. 1810. 



35 



274: BIOGRAPPIICAL NOTICES OF THE 



REV. JOSHUA NOBLE DANFORTH, D.D. 

Eldest son of Joshua, whom he siicc. in 1843 ; b. Pitts- 
field, Mass., 1 Apr. 1798; d. Newcastle, Del., 14 Nov. 
1861; AVms. Coll. 1818 ; D.D. of Del. Coll. 1855. He 
studied theology at Princeton ; was licensed by the Pres- 
bytery of New Brunswick ; was settled successively at 
Newcastle, Del. (1825-28), Washington, D.C. (1828-33), 
Lee, Mass. (1834-38) ; and Alexandria, Va. (second 
church) ; and at the time of his death was agent of the 
Colonization Society, and had been prominent in the Tem- 
perance Reform. He left only one son, who was insane. 

JJapijcti) Banicls. 

Of Holliston ; I). 1738, d. ab. 18UG. Lieut, in Joseph 
Read's (13th) reg. at siege of Boston ; com. capt. in 
Nixon's (Oth) reg. 27 Mar. 1777, and served to the end 
of the war. 

Son of Samuel and Experience Adams Daniel, and (probably) 
grand-son of Robert of Medfield, who settled in Sherborn prior to 
1710, and who was (probably) grand-son of Robert of Cambridge. 

Japlieth m. Melatiah , who was living in 1812, as. 72, and 

had — 

Cynthia, 17 May, 1765. 

OsiMUS, 28 Dec. 1768. 

Amariah, 28 Nov. 1770, m. 1794 Olive Ryder, and resided at 
Palmyra, Portage Co., O. 

Sabka, 10 Sept. 1772. 

Japheth, 14 Aug. 1777, m. Betsey Rider, 1800. 

Melatiah, 2 Nov. 1779. 

Samuel II9art)S- 

Was of York, Me., where he d. early in 1807. Capt. in 
Scamman's reg. in May, 1775 ; in Prescott's reg. in 1776 ; 




YI-.Sx-a&rtBos 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 2'75 

in Bailey's (2d) reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; com. major in Brooks's 
(7th) reg. 1 Nov. 1778 ; afterward in M. Jackson's (8th) 
reg. 

He left a widow Mary, and a son Reuben, who d. in 
1808, leaving a widow and three young children. 

CHARLES HENRY DAVIS. LL.D. 

Admiral Davis, admitted in 1813 to succeed Capt. Con- 
stant Freeman, was b. Boston, 16 Jan. 1807 ; A.M. of 
H. U. 1825, LL.D. 1868 ; app. midshipman U. 8. N. 12 
Aug. 1823 ; lieut. 3 Mar. 1831 ; commander, 13 June, 1854 ; 
capt. 15 Nov. 1861; rear-adm. 7 Feb. 1863; fleet capt. in 
Dupont's expedition against Port Royal, and distinguished 
in operations on the Mississippi River at Memphis and 
Vicksburg ; eminent also as a mathematician and physicist, 
and has contributed various papers to scientific journals 
upon Tidal Currents, the Law of Deposit, &c. ; founder of 
the American Nautical Almanac, which he superintended 
from 1849 to 1856 ; supt. Naval Observatory, Washing- 
ton, D.C., 1865-67 ; com. South Atlantic Squadron 
1867-69 ; now (1873) comdt. of navy yard at Norfolk, Va. 
His father, Daniel Davis, an eminent lawyer of Boston, m. 
Lois, dau. of Capt. Constant Freeman. 

Ebenezer Davis or Davies — the name appears in both 
forms — was born in the little village of Newton, in the 
south-eastern corner of New Hampshire, about the year 
1753. His father was a farmer, who, according to family 
tradition, removed to some part of Worcester County, Mas- 
sachusetts. His mother was a Miss Stuart, probably of 
Scottish descent. He had two younger brothers : William, 
who served in the Revolutionary war, and afterwards lived 
in Haverhill, Mass., until his death ; and Charles, who died 
in the West Indies. 



276 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

The name of Davis was borne by several of the early 
settlers of Haverhill, from one of whom the subject of this 
notice was probably descended. 

In spite of some little family opposition, Mr. Davis took 
up arms with the very earliest in the cause of the colonies. 
The alarm of the memorable 10th of April, 1775, which 
roused the whole province, called ont the minnte-men 
of Bradford, who, under Capt. Nathaniel Gage, marched 
promptly to the vicinity of Boston, and served seven days. 
J\Ir. Davis, who was then living in Bradford, was a private 
in this company, with which he soon after enlisted in Col. 
James Frye's regiment of eight months" men from Essex 
County. The regiment was stationed at Cambridge ; and 
a portion of it, under Lieut.-Col. Brickett, formed a part 
of the original detachment which, on the night of June 16, 
under command of Col. Prescott. occupied Breed's Hill, 
and threw up the famous redoubt. Mr. Davis took part 
in the conflict of the next day, in which his regiment 
suffered a loss of fifteen killed and thirty-one wounded. 

On the 1st of January, 1776, Mr. Davis seems to have 
re-enlisted, as a sergeant, under Capt. Joshua Read, in the 
regiment of Col. James M. Varnum, of Rhode Island. This 
corps remained with the beleaguering force until the fall 
of Boston, wlien it was ordered, with the main Ijody of the 
army, to New York, and followed the fortunes of Wash- 
ington through the whole of the checkered campaign of 
1776. Mr. Davis M'as at the battle of White Plains, and 
also at Trenton and Princeton. 

On the 25th of March, 1777, he enlisted as a sergeant 
under Capt. Samuel Carr, in the 9th regiment of the 
Massachusetts line. Col. James Wesson, and served in 
that capacity until March 2, 1779, Avhen he was promoted 
to the rank of ension. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 277 

He fought at Branclj^wine and Germantown in 1777,* 
and in 1778 at Monmouth, where his regiment formed a 
part of Wayne's brigade in Gen. Lee's command, and Col. 
Wesson received a severe wound. 

On the 1st of January, 1781, the regiment was consoli- 
dated with that of Col. Henry Jackson. In the autumn, 
Ensign Davis was at Yorktown, as assistant commissary of 
issues to the first brigade of light infantry ; a fine corps, 
which, it will be recollected, did good service in the siege 
under La Fayette. There is reason to believe that he was 
at this time attached to the picked regiment of New Eng- 
land light infantry, which, under command of Major 
Nathan Rice, formed a part of the brigade. 

In 1782 we find Ensign Davis on tlie roll of Col. Michael 
Jackson's regiment, the redoubtable " bloody eighth." 
On the 3d of September, 1781, a board was appointed to 
arrange the rank of tlie subaltern officers of the Massa- 
chusetts line, and in their report he appears as the eighth 
on the list of ensigns. 

On the 15th of March, 1782, he was promoted to the 
rank of lieutenant. In the following year he was lieu- 
tenant in Capt. John Hobby's company of the -Sd regiment, 
Col. Greaton ; and by the return of April 16, 1783, he ap- 
pears as brigade quartermaster. He had thus served his 
country Avith credit for eight years, through the whole of 
her desperate struggle for independence, and had fought in 
every battle at which Washington had himself been present. 

On the conclusion of the war, Lieut. Davis retm^ned to 
Bradford, where he was married, in July, 1785, to Pris- 
cilla, daughter of Deacon Ebenezer and Priscilla (Kimball) 

* Col. Wesson's reg'iment is said to have licen at Saratoga witii Gates's 
Northern armj-, in 1777. Tlie Hon. Charles S. Daveis, liovvever, stated ex- 
plicitly tliat his father was at Brandywine and Germantown, and that he was 
not at Saratoga ; and he often reiterated the fact that his father served in 
every battle in which Washington was engaged. It is not easy now to har- 
monize these conflicting statements. 



278 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Griffin, of that town. At about this time he removed to 
Portland (then called Falmouth), where he built a house 
on Free Street, and passed the remainder of his life. His 
wife died with her infant child ; and ]Mr. Davis, on the 
28th of July, 1787, was married at Portland to her younger 
sister, Mehitable, by whom he had one son, the late Hon. 
Charles Stewart Daveis, President of the Massachusetts 
Society of the Cincinnati. 

In 1786 Mr. Davis's name appears among the signatures 
to the petition of the inhabitants of Falmouth Neck for 
the incorporation of Portland, and that it might be made 
the shire town. He is said to have been on the commit- 
tee to name the toAvn, and held several small offices after 
the incorporation. On the 11th of June, 1798, he was 
appointed at a town meeting on a committee to " procure 
labor and materials to erect necessary defences, and to 
superintend the erection of the same." 

Mr. Davis cherished an ardent fondness for military life, 
and was anxious to take part in the French Revolution. 
On the 5th of February, 1787, he was commissioned cap- 
tain in the sixth division of the ^Massachusetts militia ; 
and a letter is preserved, written by him on the oth of 
Jiuie, 1798, to Major-Gen. Shepard, then in Congress, 
asking the influence of the latter with the President to 
obtain for him a commission in the new army then raising 
by the government. 

He died in the prime of life, on the 14th of November, 
1799, aged about forty-six years, exactly one month before 
his great Revolutionary chieftain. His wife survived him, 
and on the 7th of November, 1800, Avas married to John 
McLeUan, of Portland. She died on the 21st of April, 
1823, at the age of fifty-five 3'ears. 

Capt. Davis is described as a man of fine personal 
appearance and manners, with a military bearing, tall and 
well ])i-o]H)rtioned, and, as a young man. athletic and 





dX^-'^L^ 



^&-^ ^Q^.AloUCy^^^-^^j<:/ 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 279 

active. He adhered in his dress to the fashions of the 
old school, — the cocked hat and small-clothes of colonial 
days. A member of the Federalist party, he steadily sup- 
ported Washington at the polls, as he had so often done on 
the field of battle. 

CHARLES STEWART DAVEIS. 

Charles Stewart Daveis, the only son of Capt. Ebenezer 
Davis and his wife Mehitable Griffin, was born in Port- 
land, Me., on the 10th of May, 1788. 

By his father's early death, in 1799, he was left at the 
age of eleven years to the care of an excellent mother. 
After receiving the rudiments of his education .in his 
native town, he was sent, in June, 1802, to Phillijjs Acad- 
emy, Andover, where, under the instruction of its prin- 
cipal, Mark Newman, he was fitted for college. In 1803, 
he entered Bowdoin College, then in its infancy, and grad- 
uated in 1807, at the head of its second class. As the 
class at Commencement comprised only three members, 
each of them was obliged to take two parts, in order to 
fill up the programme. Mr. Daveis delivered a poem on 
" Tradition," and a valedictory oration on the " Infirmity 
of Theory," in the conclusion of which he alluded with 
much feeling to the recent death of the President, Dr. 
McKeen. 

On leaving college, in Aug. 1807, Mr. Daveis entered 
the law office of Nicholas Emery, Esq., of Portland ; 
and, after three years of diligent stud}^, was in 1810 ad- 
mitted to the bar, as an attorney of the Court of Common 
Pleas. Dismissing some vague thoughts he had enter- 
tained of seeking his fortune in the ever-attractive West, 
he opened an office in Portland, Avhere he remained dur- 
ing the whole of his long professional career. 

The bar of Cumberland County was renowned for 



2S0 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

talent ; and Mr. Daveis came into successful competition 
Avith very able lawyers, among Avhom he took a high rank, 
distinguishing himself by the learning of his legal argu- 
ments, and the convincing power of his addresses in jury 
cases. 

AVhile lie was well versed in the principles of the Com- 
mon Law, it was in the less known branches of Equity 
and Admiralty that he acquired his chief reputation. He 
was almost the first in the State to devote attention to 
equity practice, of which the older members of the bar 
were generally ignorant and distrustful ; and his acquire- 
ments in this branch were highly esteemed by Judge Story, 
who was his warm personal friend, and for whom he cher- 
ished the strongest admiration. He was an eminent admi- 
ralty lawyer, fearlessly espousing, at the risk of his personal 
safety, the cause of the sailors, who were then regarded 
when at sea as little better than slaves ; a condition of 
things which he, in conjunction with Mr. Justice Ware, 
the learned and able Judge of the United States District 
Court, did much to amend. 

On the 1st of June, 1815, jNIr. Daveis was married at 
Exeter, N.H., to Miss Elizabeth Taylor Oilman, youngest 
daughter of the Hon. John Taylor Oilman, Governor of 
New Hampshire, and his wife Deborah, daughter of Major- 
(ien. Nathaniel Folsom, of Exeter. 

In 1818, on the election of Samuel Fessenden as major- 
general of the twelfth division of ^Massachusetts militia, 
Mr. Daveis accepted a position on his staff, as division 
inspector, which he retained until 1827, when, on the 
accession of his personal friend, Enoch Lincoln, to the 
office of Governor, he received from the latter an appoint- 
ment as his senior aide. 

It Av^as at this time that he first took an active part in 
connection with the controversy, with which for many 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 281 

years he was so intimately associated ; and of the history, 
facts, arguments, and condition of which he has heen pro- 
nounced on good authority to have known more than any 
other man in the state or nation. This was the dispute 
relating to the north-eastern boundary of Maine, which had 
been for many years pending between the United States 
and Great Britain, but was now suddenly brought to a 
crisis by the action of the Provincial authorities of Xew 
Brunswick, in serving legal process on American settlers 
in the disputed country ; and especially in arresting on 
his own land, granted to him by the States of Maine and 
Massachusetts, one John Baker, a citizen of the former 
State, whom they carried to Fredericton for trial. Gov. 
Lincoln promptly despatched Col. Daveis as special agent 
of the State, bearing a letter to Sir Howard Douglas, 
the Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick, to obtain 
information with regard to these aggressions, and to 
demand the release of Baker. Proceeding to St. Ste- 
phen's, Mr. Daveis hired horses and a guide, and set out 
across the country for Fredericton, a distance of over 
eighty miles, arriving on the 25th of Nov. 1827, after a 
journey of four days through the wilderness, performed 
partly on horseback and partly on foot, over miserable 
roads. The Governor declined to recognize him in an 
official capacity ; but he was treated with the most distin- 
gaished politeness, during his stay, by the members of the 
government, officers, and gentry of the place. After some 
delay, owing to the Governor's illness, Mr. Daveis pro- 
ceeded to Houlton and Woodstock, and collected what 
evidence he was able, in the absence of official recognition, 
to obtain, in relation to the British aggressions. In Jan- 
uary, 1828, he returned to Portland, and on the 31st of 
that month presented to Gov. Lincoln a report setting 
forth at length the information that he had acquked on the 

36 



282 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

subject. The mission had proved unsuccessful, and Baker 
was tried and convicted in spite of all remonstrances. 

The controversy, in accordance with the Treaty of 
Ghent, and by virtue of a convention between the two 
governments, was now submitted to the arbitration of the 
King of the Netherlands ; and the Hon. Albert Galla- 
tin, and Judge Preble, of Portland, were appointed com- 
missioners to prepare the American case. Judge Preble, 
who was sent as minister to the Hague, was anxious to 
avail himself of Mr. Daveis's valuable services in the 
capacity of Secretary of Legation, an office Avhich the lat- 
ter declined. He consented, however, on the earnest solici- 
tation of the Judge, to accept an appointment as special 
confidential agent of the United States, to take charge 
of the materials of the American case, and to lay them 
before the arbiter. Sir Howard Douglas, recalled from 
New Brunswick, was charged by the British government 
with a similar mission. Mr. Daveis sailed from New York 
for Havre on the 11th of January, 1830, and on the 13th 
of March reached the Hague, where he employed himself 
vigorously in assisting to prepare the case for presentation. 
After completing his duties here, he made a brief trip to 
England and Scotland, in the course of which he spent 
much time attending the courts at Westminster Hall, and 
the debates of Parliament, and also had the opportunity 
of making the acquaintance of some of the most eminent 
men of the period. On the 11th of July he sailed from 
Liverpool, and reached Boston in safety, after a long 
A^oyage. 

The unsatisfactory' award of the arbiter — being a mere 
suggestion of a compromise — was not recognized as bind- 
ing by the United States. The question remained open ; 
and, after some disheartening years of ill-conducted and 
fruitless negotiation, a bill was at length introduced into 
Congress, providing for a survey by national authority of 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 283 

the disputed border line. Anxious to secure its passage, 
the Hon. Edward Kent, at this time Governor of Maine, 
with the advice of his council, on the 25th of April, 1838, 
commissioned Mr. Daveis under the great seal of the State 
as a special agent to co-operate with the Maine delegation 
in Consrress in securing that result, and also to attend to 
some other matters connected with the controversy. Mr. 
Daveis reached Washington on the 10th of May, and 
devoted himself ardently to the work. The results were 
eminently favorable. A general interest in the subject 
was awakened ; and, although the bill was laid on the table, 
resolutions reported in the Senate by the Hon. James 
Buchanan were unanimously adopted in both branches, 
strongly maintaining the right of Maine in the contro- 
versy. Of Mr. Daveis's efforts Gov. Kent says : " I think 
I can confidently say that no agent or envoy ever labored 
more diligently or more intelligently or efficiently than he 
did during that warm summer of 1838. ... By his ear- 
nest persuasions, he induced both Mr. Webster (on the 
4th of July) and Mr. Buchanan, and others, to espouse 
our cause distinctly and earnestly, in strong speeches. He 
alone brought the whole question out of its narrow locality 
in the State into a national matter, regarded as one of 
interest to the whole conntry, involving questions of peace 
and war, which were fast becoming imminent and peril- 
ous. ... I have always believed that Maine owed more 
to him than to any other man in thus bringing the whole 
subject before the nation and compelling action." In a 
letter addressed to Mr. Daveis, under date of July 15, 
1838, Gov. Kent says : " You have breathed into them the 
breath of life, and have done more to advance our cause, 
and place this matter on its true basis, and bring the 
administration to a right position than any other man has 
ever done. I am more than satisfied ; I am delighted, not 
more with the success than with the skill and indefatigable 



284 BIOGKAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

and persevering and able manner in which you have pre- 
sented and enforced our right." Mr. Daveis submitted to 
the Governor a lengthy and valuable report of his mission, 
which was laid before the legislature. 

The following year, the draft of a convention having 
been received from England, the Secretary of State, Mr. 
Forsyth, made a special visit to Maine, to learn the views 
of the leading men. With this object, at the President's 
suggestion, Gov. Fairfield and Senator Williams of the 
dominant party, and Ex-Governor Kent and Mr. Daveis 
as representatives of the Whig opposition, were invited 
to a private conference. They met Mr. Forsyth at Port- 
land on the 18th of June, and, after a harmonious con- 
sultation for two days, drew up and signed a paper, 
disapproving the British proposition and the counter- 
project of the American government, and emljodying their 
own views in the matter. 

In 1841, Mr. Daveis, being a member of the State Sen- 
ate, as chairman of the joint special committee on the 
North-Eastern Boundary, submitted on the 30th of March 
an able and dignified report of fifty-five pages, accom- 
panied with a series of resolutions breathing a spirit of 
calm and unflinching determination, which were adopted 
unanimously in the Senate, and in the House by a large 
majority. In May, he was summoned to a private confer- 
ence on the subject, at Boston, with Mr. Webster, then 
Secretary of State. 

The following year. Lord Ashburton's special mission, 
resulting in the Treaty of Washington, closed the vexed 
question for ever. In this last act of the drama. Mr. 
Daveis took no part. During the long years in which 
he was identified with the controversy, his feelings had 
become warmly enlisted on the side of his native State ; 
and he was recognized as one of the most uncompromising 
and zealous advocates of her rioht. It was not unnatural 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 285 

therefore that, while acquiescing in the result, he could 
not give his cordial approval to the terms of settlement. 

In politics Mr. Daveis was a Federalist, and afterwards 
an ardent Whig. Unlike most of his political associates, 
however, he admitted the justice of the war of 1812. In 
1840, he was elected to the State Senate, of which he was 
an influential member ; presiding at its organization, and 
serving as chairman of the joint special committee on the 
North-Eastern Boundary, and also as chairman of the 
joint standing committee on the judiciary. In 1848 he 
was a warm and active supporter of Gen. Taylor for the 
Presidency, and was nominated on the Whig State ticket 
for Elector-at-large, but was beaten by a considerable 
plurality, the State casting its vote for Gen. Cass. 

In the midst of his engrossing public and professional 
duties, Mr. Daveis never failed to find time for literary 
pursuits, in which he delighted and excelled. A diligent 
student, gifted with fine abilities and a rare memory, 
he acquired an eminent reputation for scholarship, and 
especially for his familiarity with classical lore. He wrote 
much, and, in his earlier j^ears, often in verse ; and was 
a frequent contributor to the newspapers and periodicals 
of the time, including occasionally the " North American 
Review." He also delivered many pubhc addresses, charm- 
ing his hearers by the grace of his manner no less than 
by the beauty of his language. His productions were 
classical and scholarly, elaborately prepared, and carefully 
adapted to express the most delicate shades of meaning. 
His legal studies seem, however, at first, to have left him 
less time than he could have wished for such pursuits ; 
for in 1809 he writes to his friend, Mr. James Savage, 
"• My Lord Coke has proved almost too much for Dan 
Apollo, and the charms oi. belles-lettres have been almost 
lost in the shades of black letter." 

His eminent literary abilities were first brought to 




286 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

pul)lic notice by an elegant and classical oration on Greek 
Literature, delivered in Sept. 1808, at Bowdoin College, 
before the Peuciuian Society, of which he had been among 
the founders ; and afterwards published in the Monthly 
Anthology, prefaced with a most complimentary editorial 
note. This oration procured him an invitation to contrib- 
ute to that fastidious publication, and an election as cor- 
responding meml)er of the Anthology Club. Among his 
other public addresses may be mentioned an oration deliv- 
ered to the Federal Republicans of Portland, July 4, 1812 ; 
a historical oration at Fryeburg, May 19, 1825, on the 
hundredth anniversary of Lovewell's Indian fight ; an ora- 
tion delivered, at the request of the citizens' committee, 
on the 9th of August, 1826, on the death of Adams and 
Jefferson ; and a second Fourth of July oration at Portland, 
in 1831. In 1858 he wrote for the New Hampshire His- 
torical Society a memoir of Gov. Gilman, which was read 
at Exeter on the hundredth anniversary of the Governor's 
birth, Dec. 19. On the death of Judge Story, ^Nlr. Daveis 
drew up a series of beautiful and feeling resolutions, which 
were adopted at a meeting of the Bar of the United States 
Circuit Court for the District of Maine, held at Portland, 
Oct. 1, 1845. 

Mr. Daveis was an ardent student of American histoiry, 
and collected mucli material for a life of Gen. Knox, 
which was to have formed one of the concluding series 
of Mr. Sparks's biographies, and for which the General's 
family papers were j)laced at his disposal. Professional 
duties, however ; the extended scope of the work, embrac- 
ing a sketch of the artillery service during the Revolu- 
tionary war ; and, linally, an attack of paralj'sis, — indefi- 
nitely postponed the completion of this cherished design, 
which, though perhaps never formally renounced, remained 
at last unfulfilled. 

To his Alma Mater Mr. Daveis always cherished a strong 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 287 

attachment, and served her faithfully for many years. In 
1820 he was chosen a member of the Board of Over- 
seers, of which he was several years Vice-President ; 
and in 1836 he became one of the Trustees, retaining the 
position until induced b}- declining health to resign it in 
1864. He was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Societ}^ 
of which he was for many years Corresponding Secretar}', 
and later Vice-President and President. On the 1st of Sep- 
tember, 1835, on the formation of the Alumni Society, of 
which he was chosen the first President, he delivered an 
oration, which was highly praised by Judge Stor}-, as " full 
of strong and vivid thought," and pronounced to " add to 
his former efforts a new claim upon the gratitude of the 
scholars of the country." In Sept. 1839, at the inaugura- 
tion of President Woods, Mr. Daveis delivered a Latin 
address, which was responded to by the President. He 
also wrote, for the dedication of the new King Chapel at 
Brunswick, an able and valuable address on the histor}^ of 
the college, which was delivered on the 1st of September, 
1854. In 1844 he received from the college the degree 
of Doctor of Laws. 

Mr. Daveis was in 1828 elected a member of the Maine 
Historical Society, and was subsequently chosen a corre- 
sponding member of the Massachusetts and New Hamp- 
shire Societies, and an honorary member of those of New 
York and Georgia. In 1814 he was chosen an honorary 
member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society at Harvard Col- 
lege, there being then no chapter of the Society at 
Brunswick. 

In the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati, Mr. 
Daveis always felt the warmest interest, and for many 
years took a very active part. Elected a member in 1809, 
at the age of twenty-one years, as successor to his father, 
he was in 1839 chosen a member of the standing com- 
mittee, on which he served until 1 851, when he was elected 



288 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Vice-President. In 1853, on the death of Robert G. Shaw, 
Esq., he was chosen President of the Society, and was suc- 
cessively re-elected to that office until his death in 1865. 
He prepared, by direction of the Society, a new edition 
of its " Institution and Proceedings," which in 1859 was 
ordered to be j^rinted. He was often chosen delegate to 
the meetings of the General Society, and in 1854 was 
elected Vice-President-General, an office which he retained 
until his death. In 1859 he wrote for Appleton's Cyclo- 
pffidia a historical account of the Society. After his death, 
appropriate resolutions were passed at the General Meet- 
ing at Trenton, May 9, 1866, and by the State Society 
at Boston. 

In his active career, Mr. Daveis was suddenly arrested, 
on the 28th of Api'il, 1850, by a stroke of paralysis, which 
partially deprived him of the use of his right side. He so 
far recovered as to be able to resume his ever-busy pen 
and to mingle once more in society, but he never returned 
to the practice of his profession. Ten years later, on the 
8d of April, 18<)0, his wife died after a long period of 
feeble health. Mr. Daveis survived her nearly five years, 
under the constantly increasing burthen of bodily infirmity, 
enduring with unmurmuring Christian resignation the in- 
activit}^ so wearisome to an energetic and social spirit, until 
the 29th of March, 1865, when, in his native town, on the 
site of his father's old home, he quietly breathed his last, 
at the age of seventy-six years. 

Mr. Daveis was a man of earnest religious character, the 
beauty and sincerity of which were amply attested by his 
whole life, and most of all by the last sad years of fee- 
bleness and bereavement, borne with heroic and touching 
resignation. His faith was unquestioning, and his rever- 
ence for sacred and lofty things profound. Of a truly 
chivalrous nature, he combined in a rare degree manly 
enero'v and fearlessness with a womanlv tenderness and 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 289 

purity ; commanding the sincere respect of all, and the 
warmest affection of those whose privilege it was to know 
him well. Though an untiring worker, he always found 
time to assist those who were deserving of aid, especially 
young men. His manners were dignified, courtly, affable ; 
and, under whatever provocation, always eminently those 
of a Christian gentleman. He was not prone to entertain 
extreme views, and his bearing towards his opponents 
Avas ever respectful and courteous. 

In social life his conversation sparkled with wit, and 
with classical quotations and anecdotes, of which he pos- 
sessed a large fund. He was of middle height, slender 
and graceful, elegant in figure, and very agile in his move- 
ments. His head was of an intellectual cast, with large 
dark eyes, high forehead, and a mouth of much sweetness 
of expression. Mr. Davies had five children ; namely, — 

John Taylor Oilman, M.D., of Portland. 

Edward Henry, a member of tlie bar in Portland, and editor 

of some volumes of law reports. 
Mary Cogswell, who m. the Rev. David Greene Haskins of 

Cambridge, Mass. 
Anna Ticknor, who m. Charles Jones of Portland. 
Caroline P]lizabeth, who d. in infancy, Dec. 14, 1827. 

JOHN TAYLOR OILMAN DAVEIS, M.D. 
Eldest son of Charles S. Daveis, whom he succ. in 
1865 ; b. Portland, Me., 21 Mar. 1816, d. there 9 May, 
1873. He was educated at the Round Hill School ; at the 
academies of Portland and Exeter and at Harvard Univer- 
sity (class of 1836), and was one of the Sophomore Class 
the whole of which was dismissed for rebellion. He then 
studied medicine at the U. of Pennsylvania, where he 
grad. in 1837, and at Boston, and began practice in 1840 
in his native city, where he resided until his death. He 
received the lion, degrees of M.D. (1837) and of A.M. 

37 



290 BIOGRArHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

(1858) from Bowel. Coll. He m. 11 Oct. 1847, Frances 
Ellen Gordon, by whom he had three daughters, two of 
whom survive. 

Janus SJabi's. 

Of old Deerfield or Conway, Mass. ; d. Amity, Alleghany 
Co., N.Y., in Aug. 1817, pe. ab. 72. Com. lieut. in Grea- 
ton's (3d) reg. 1 Jan. 1777. He served seven years, and 
was present at the surrender of Burgoyne and of Coru- 
wallis ; was afterward a farmer in Whitestown, Oneida Co., 
N.Y. ; and about 1809 he settled in Scio, now Amity, Alle- 
ghany Co., residing on the farm of his son Henry until 
his death. 

The descent of his wife, Irene Ticknor. from Sergeant William ^ 
Ticknor, of Scituate, b. Kent, Eng., often selectman of Scituate, 
and an officer under Gen. Cudworth, in Philip's War (1G75), who 
m. 29 Oct. 165G, in Boston, Hannah, dau. of John Stockbridge, 
(she d. 16G5), was through Williomi- b. 1G64, m. 169G Lydia, 
dau. of Dea. Joseph Tilden, and removed to Lebanon, Ct., in 1710 ; 
John^ (her father), b. 1G99, d. 1751, m. at Lebanon, Ct., in 1724, 
Mary Bailey, and had nine children, of whom Irene (b. 1747, d. 
Aug. ISlo) was the eighth. Hon. George Ticknor, LL.D., author 
of the "• History of Spanish Literature," was a descendant of Joliu? 
The children of James and Irene (Ticknor) Davis, all of whom 
were b. in Mass., were — 

James, who was a waiter in his father's company ; and who d. 

near Geneva, N.Y., leaving a number of children. 
Cyrus, of Seneca Falls, N.Y. 
Harry, a farmer, and deacon of the Baptist Church in Scio, who 

had ten children. 
Charles, farmer, also of Scio ; one of the storming party which, 
in the war of 1812, took Fort George, U.C., and d. there in 
1814, leaving a wife and G children, one of whom, Henry, now 
resides in McGregor, Iowa. 
LuciNDA, who m. Levi Stanhope. 
Puii.iNDA, who m. Hyde. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 291 

Of Kingston, Mass. ; d. Norway, Me., in 1816. Entered 
the army as a private in Peleg Wadsworth's Co., Cotton's 
reg. 6 May, 1775 ; was serg.-major of Pope's Co., Shepard's 
(4th) reg. 22 Jan. 1777 to 3 Jan. 1778, when com. ensign ; 
com. lieiit. and adjutant same reg. 14 Apr. 1780 ; and served 
to the end of the war, having been present at Bemis's 
Heights, Monmouth, and Quaker Hill, R.I. He removed 
to Norway in 1814. 

WILLIAM P. DAVIS. 

Eldest son of John, succ. him in 1810, deceased. His 
bro. Thomas was living in 1850. 

Of New Marlboro', Mass. ; d. in western N.Y., ab. 1827, 
while on a visit to a son. Lieut, in Wiggiesworth's (13th) 
reg. 1777 ; in Sullivan's R.I. campaign in 1778 ; com. capt. 
in Marshall's (10th) reg. 1 Jan. 1783. He was a portly, 
noble-looking man, and was remarkably kind-hearted. 

Son of Setli and Mary (Waterus) Dean, m. in 1741. By his 
wife Abigail he had — 
Harvey, 16 Aug. 1778. 
Pauline, 21 May, 1782. 
Chauncey, 5 Apr. 1784. 
Isaac, 8 Feb. 1786. 
Fanny, 14 Mar. 1790. 

Ednah, 19 Feb. 1794, m. David Thomas of Aurora, N.Y. 
Lucius Q. C, 7 May, 1796. 

HENRY ALEXANDER SCAMMEL DEARBORN. 

He was b. Exeter, N.H., 3 March, 1783 ; d. Portland, 
29 July, 1861. His father, Gen. Henry Dearborn, studied 
and practised medicine, served with distinction in the Rev- 
olutionary army, at the close of which he was col. of the 



292 BIOGEAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

1st N.H. reg. ; was marshal of Me. 1789 ; M. C. 1793-97 ; 
Secretary of War, 1801-9 ; Sen. Maj.-Gen. U. S. A. and 
Com.-in-chief of the Northern Department, 1812-13 ; and 
minister to Portngal, 1822-21. The son spent two years 
at Williams College, graduated at William and Mary Col- 
lege in 1803 ; studied law under Wm. Wirt, afterward 
with Judge Story, and practised awhile in Salem and Port- 
land. He afterward superintended the erection of forts in 
Portland Harbor ; was dep. coll. under his father, and succ. 
him as collector of the port of Boston in 1813-29 ; com- 
manded the troops in Boston Harbor in 1812, the Anc. and 
Hon. Art. Co. in 1816 ; brig. -gen. Mass. militia, 1814 ; was 
a member of the Mass. Constitutional Convention of 1820 ; 
a representative in the Mass. Legislature from Roxbury in 
1830 ; member of the executive council in 1831 ; M. C. 
1831-33 ; adj.-gen. of Mass. 1834-43 ; mayor of Roxbury, 
1847-51. He was active in originating and forAvarding 
many useful works, among them Bunker Hill Monument, 
the Hoosac Tunnel, and the beautiful cemeteries at Mount 
Auburn and Forest Hills. Author of " Commerce and 
Navigation of the Black Sea," 3 vols. 8vo, 1819; "Let- 
ters on the Internal Improvement and Commerce of the 
West," 1839 ; and the Life of the Apostle Ehot. His un- 
published manuscripts, amounting to more than 100 vols., 
include a harmony of the Life of Christ ; History of Bun- 
ker Hill Battle ; treatises on Architecture and Political 
Economy ; a diary in 45 vols. ; and Lives of Col. Wm. R. 
Lee, Commodore Bainbridge, and Gen. Henry Dearborn, 
the latter of which is in 11 vols. 

He was a very industrious and a very i^opular man ; 
his house was the abode of hospitality ; every important 
private and public enterprise received his patronage ; and 
he was a member of the American Academy and other 
scientific bodies. In 1811 he delivered the Fourth of July 
oration for the Bunker Hill Association. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 293 

His father was an original member of the N.H. Society. 
He became a member of the Mass. Soc. in 1832, and was 
President of the General Soc. in 1848-51. 

His descent from Godfrey ^ Dearborn, one of the original settlers 
of Exeter, with Wheelwright, in 1G39, who d. 4 Feb. 1(586, and 
Dorothy, widow of Philemon Dalton, was through Henry^ b. prob. 
in Eng., d. 18 Jan. 1725, a_\ 92, who m. 10 Jan. 1GG6, Elizabeth 
Merriam; John^ b. 10 Oct. 1G6G, d. 22 Nov. 1750, who m. 4 Nov. 
1G89, Abigail Bachelder ; Simeon,'' h. ?>Y July, 170G, d. 13 Sept. 
17GG, who m. 5 Dec. 1728, Sarah Marston ; Gen. Henrij^ (his 
father), b. North Hampton, N.H., 23 Feb. 1751, d. Roxbury, Mass., 
G June, 1829, who m. 28 Mar. 1780, Dorcas Osgood. 

He m. at Salem, 3 May, 1807, Hannah Swett, dan. of Col. Wil- 
liam R. Lee, and had — 

Julia Margaretta, 22 Jan. 1808, m. 23 Jan. 1834, Hon. Asa 
W. H. Clapp of Portland. 

Henry George Ralegh, 22 June, 1809, m. G July, 1840, Sarah 
Thuiston. Civil engineer, resides Boston Highlands. 

William Lee, 12 June, 1812, Engineer Croton Water Works. 

Of Woburn ; lieiit. in Wood's Co. L. Baldwin's reg. 
1775-76 ; com. capt. in Wesson's (9th) reg. 1 Mar. 1777 ; 
in M. Jackson's (8th) reg. in 1788. He m. 16 Nov. 1769, 
Elizabeth Wyman of Woburn. She d. 28 Feb. 1780, ffi. 
31 yrs. 6 ms. 

Of Beverly ; pensioner, living in N.Y. in 1820 ; com. 
lieut. in Marshall's (10th) reg. 15 Dec. 1778 ; in Vose's 
reg. in 1783. 

JOHN J. DOLAND. 

Of Lawrence, Mass. ; grandson of Maj. John Biirnam, 
whom he succ. in 1872. Son of Eliza (Burnham) and 
John Doland. 



294 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

He was adjutant in Paul D. Sargent's (16th) reg. 
1775-76 ; acting major of brigade (Sargent's), Oct. 1776 ; 
com. capt. in H. Jackson's (16th) reg. 1777 ; Inspector of 
Boston Custom House many years, and until his d., 23 
June, 1816, se. 63. 

Of Pennsylvania; d. PhHa. 29 May, 1821. Com. 2d 
lieut. in B. Roman's Pa. art. 25 Mar. 1776 ; 1st lieut. 15 
May, 1776 ; capt. in Crane's art. reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; served 
through the war. Transferred to the Pa. Society. 

He was b. Kingston, Mass., 13 June, 1747, d. there 18 
May, 1824. In early life Major Drew was engaged in 
ship-building, the occupation of his ancestors for many 
years. Member of Wadswortli's Co. of minute-men, and 
marched on receiving the Lexington alarm. Com. 2d 
lieut. in Bailey's (2d) reg. 1 July, 1775 ; 1st lieut. 1 Jan. 
1776 ; capt. same reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; major, 7 Jan. 1783 ; 
present at the siege of Boston, Dorchester Heights, battles 
of Trenton, Princeton, and Monmouth, and at the sur- 
render of Burgoyne ; one of the court which tried Joshua 
Hett Smith as an accomplice of Andre. Postmaster of 
Kingston for many jeavs previous to his death ; represen- 
tative in the General Court, 1795, 1797, 1803, and 1804 ; 
app. Justice of the Peace in 1797. Previous to the war 
of 1812-15, he was an agent of the government to super- 
intend the erection of forts in Plymouth Harbor and at 
Fairhaven. He was a punctual attendant at the annual 
meetings of the Cincinnati, and was, in the absence of the 
President, frequently called to the chair. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 295 

Distinguished for activity of mind as well as of bod}', 
he sustained also the reputation of a brave and discreet 
officer, and merited and received the approbation and 
esteem of all with whom he was associated. 

His descent from John ^ Drew of Devonshire, Eng., and of Ply- 
mouth, ab. 1G60, d. 29 July, 1721, a;. 79, and wife Hannah, was 
through Samuel,'^ b. 1G78; Cornelius^ (his father), who m. Sarah 
Bartlett. 

He m. 3 Dec. 1772, Hannah Brewster, a descendant of Elder 
Wm. She d. 13 Apr. 1832. They had — 
Nathaniel, 22 Aug. 1773, d. 11 Sept. 1775. 
Hannah, 3 Jan. 1776, m. Oct. 1803, Eli Cook, d. 13 Dec. ISGl. 
Seth. 

Christiana, 1783, d. 29 July, 1794. 
Sylvia, 30 Sept. 1785, m. 11 Apr. 1805, Thos. Cushman, d. 22 

Nov. 1865. 
Francis, 29 July, 1788, m. 18 Apr. 1816, Joanna Bradford; 2d, 
27 Sept. 1827, Lucy Sampson; 3d, 6 Feb. 1834, Betsey South- 
worth. He d. 9 Dec. 1862. Had Mary, Joanna, and Eliza- 
beth F. 

SETH DREW. 

Son of Major Seth, whom he succ. in 1824 ; b. Kingston, 
Mass., 6 Jan. 1778, d. 20 Jan. 1854. Deacon Drew, who 
was one of the main pillars of the Baptist Society of King- 
ston, represented that town in the Legislature of Mass. in 
1835-37 and '42, He was a highly respected, useful, and 
philanthropic citizen. 

He m. 17 Nov. 1803, Mary, dau. of Elisha Washburn, who d. 
1 Jan. 1868. They had — 
Thos. Bradford, 18 Sept. 1804, d. 15 Aug. 1826. 
Clement. 

Christiana, 28 Feb. 1809, m. Levi S. Prince, Oct. 1832. 
Job Washburn, 30 Sept. 1811, m. 22 Dec. 1833, Mary Ann 

Bailey, d. 17 Oct. 1869. 
Christopher Prince, 27 June, 1815, m. June, 1841, Rebecca 
Simmons. 



296 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Eliza, 28 June, 1817, m. 22 Nov. 1838, Lysander B.irtlett, 

Jr. 
Hannah Cook, 22 Dec. 1819, m. 24 Nov. 1853, John Keely of 

Haverhill. 
Sktii, 15 May, 1822, m. 5 Nov. 1848, Emily F. Robbins. 
Eli Cook, 17 Feb. 1825, m. Harriet K. Eaton of Middleboro'. 

CLEMENT DREW. 

Son of Seth, whom he succ. in 1854 ; b. 27 Nov. 180G ; 
dealer in ^picture-frames, Boston. 

He m. in 1829 Elizabeth Teal, and has — 
Caroline E., 1G Aug. 1830. 
George Henry, 21 Sept. 1833. 

Jofjn 23u«&'eltr. 

Com. surgeon of Crane's artillery, 30 Sept. 1782. 

iUciijamin 2£atou. 

He was h. Marbleliead, Mass., 1755 ; com. 2d lient. 
Crane's art. 1 Feb. 1777 ; served through the war ; and 
was inspector of customs at Boston for some years, and 
until his d., 20 Aug. 1819. 

He m. 15 Mar. 1781, Ann, dau. of Shippie Townsend of 
Boston, and sister of Dr. David Townsend, an original member of 
the Society. They had — 

Nancy, 12 Oct. 1782, m. 31 Oct. 1809, James Moorfield of Bos- 
ton, who had: Ann Townsend, G Jan. 1811, m. 27 May, 183G, 
George Eaton ; Martha Brennan, m. Rev. Charles A. Farley, 
of Boston ; Elizabeth, m. Charles W. Storey, of Boston ; 
Mary, is unm. 

David, 2 Apr. 1784, d. 12 Sept. 1784. 

Betsey, 27 Sept. 1785, d. unm. 9 Nov. 1857. 

Sarah, 30 Mar. 1789, m. Abraham Gamage, d. s. p. 25 Aug. 
1845. 

AnijAH, 3 Aug. 1791 ; Alexander, 27 Oct. 1792 ; and Mary, 
27 Apr. 1795, all d. unm. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 297 

George and Ann Townseud Eaton have A7i7i Moorfield, Charles 

Marvin^ and Haimah Andrews. 
Rev. C. A. and Martha B. Farley have Frank Moorfeld. 
His great-grandson, Charles Marvin Eaton, of Grantville, is now 
(1873) an applicant for membership. 

^Tijomas IStJtnattfs. 

He was b. Boston, 1 Aug. 1753, and entered the Latin 
School in 1760. After graduating at H. U. in 1771, he 
read law in the office of John Williams of Boston, and was 
admitted to practice in that town. Com. lieut. in H. Jack- 
son's (16tli) reg. 31 May, 1777 ; brigade-maj. in R.I. Sept. 
— Dec. 1778 ; lieut. and advocate, 1 Jan. to 21 Sept. 1781 ; 
app. by Congress judge advocate-general of the army, 
28 Sept. 1781 ; in Sprout's (2d) reg. 1783. After the war, 
he resumed practice in Boston, held some local offices, and 
d. there 4 Ausc. 1806. He delivered the oration before 
the Society 4 July, 1792, and was its Secretary from 1786 
to his death, on which occasion the Society voted to attend 
his funeral in a body. He was a useful and exemplary 
citizen, and a man of sterling integrity of character. 

His ancestors were from Wales, where Thomas his gr.-grandfather 
was b. 1670. He m. 1785 Sarah Lewis, youngest dau. of Ezekiel 
Cloldthwait; 2d, 19 June, 1802, Polly Jewett, who d. in 18.35, a;. 80 
yvs. 9 mos. Children : — 

Sarah Lewis, 2 Mar. 1787, m. 1810 James L. Edwards, a lieut. 
of marines U. S. N., who served in the frigate " United States," when 
she captured the " Macedonian," and in other engagements ; afterward 
a Commissioner of Pensions at Washington, D.C., and who d. in 
1867, aj. 84. 

Elizabeth, Thomas, and Goldthwait, who all died young. 

Mary Ann, Aug. 1792, m. 1822 Franklin Sherrill. 

John and William Eustis, both living in Portland in 1872, 

38 



298 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 



JOHN EDWARDS. 

Eldest son of Thomas, wliom he succ. in 1839 ; b. Bos- 
ton, 6 Nov. 1.802. He went to Portland in 1814 as an 
apprentice to Arthnr Shirley of the " Gazette," which, 
with his bro. Wm. E., he afterward purchased, changing 
its name to the " Advertiser." This paper he sold in 1836, 
when he bought the Bangor " Whig." After an absence 
of three years he returned to Portland, where he now 
resides, and established the " Bulletin," and has since been 
connected with other journals. 

He m. Sarah Merrill of Portland, and had — 

Charles, Snperintendent of Construction in the Lightliouse 
Establishment, 1st District, in the emj^loy of the U. S. ; resides in 
Portland. 

John, Jr., West Point iNIilit. Acad. 1851 ; served through the war 
of the Rebellion, brevetted lieut.-col. U. S. A.; now a resident of 
Florida. 

Henry, manufacturer and merchant, Chicago, lib 

Hjariai) 2£fllcston. 

Of Lenox, Mass. ; d. there 12 Jan. 1822, x. 68. Ensign 
and quarterm. in Vose's (1st) reg. until com. lieut. and 
paym. 30 Aug. 1780. A magistrate of Lenox after the 
war. Sarah, his widow, was living in Pittsfield, Mass., in 
1854. 

He was b. Haverhill, Mass., in 1748, d. there 11 Dec. 
1832. On the " Lexington alarm," he joined Samuel 
Clements Co. as a private ; was ensign in Eben. Francis's 
reg. 3 Feb. 1777 ; lieut. and quarterm. in Tapper's (11th) 
reg. in 1780 ; com. capt. in j\Iarshall"s (10th) reg. 27 Oct. 
1780. He served at Bunker's Hill, at Valley Forge, and 




l^/U/'^'nyf^^j/^ 



y 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 299 

in the campaign ending in Burgoyne's suiTender. Wash- 
ington observed of Capt. Emerson that he was "a brave 
officer, a good disciphnarian, and never lost his temper." 
He resided at the old family homestead until his death. 

His descent was from Tl/jc/foeZ, who settled in Haverhill in 1656, 
who m. Hannah Webster. Their eldest dau. Hannah, of heroic 
memory, m. Thomas Duston. He m. Mary Whittier, who d. 7 
Sept. 183"). They had — 

Polly, 7 Oct. 1784. 

Susannah, 1 May, 1786. 

Nathan, 18 July, 1788, d. 27 Nov. 1814. 

Ruth, 21 Jan. 1790. 

Nathaniel, 30 Dec. 1792, d. New Orleans, 4 Jan. 1834. 

Henry. 

HENRY EMERSON. 

Eldest son of Capt. Nehemiah, whom he succ. in 1843 ; 
b. Haverhill, 27 Oct. 1794 ; forty years a merchant of Cin- 
cinnati, where he died, 27 Sept. 1858. 

NATHANIEL W. EMERSON. 

Eldest son of Henry, whom he succ. in 1863. Resides 
in Cincinnati. 

SSpljraim ISmrrg. 

Of Bradford ; d. Newbury, Mass., 27 Sept. 1827. En- 
sign in Wigglesworth's, afterward C. Smith's (13th) reg. 
1777, and served in Sullivan's R.I. campaign in 1778; 
com. lieut. and paym. 10 Apr. 1779 ; in Tupper's (6th) 
reg. 1783. His son John, b. 1790, was living in George- 
town, Mass., in 1867. 

SSaClUcim IZnntiUy ^M,y %1LM. 

He was b. Boston, 10 June, 1753 ; was educated under 
Master Lovell, having entered tlie Boston Latin vSchool in 
1761, and was grad. at Cambridge in 1772. He studied 



300 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

medicine under Dr. Joseph Warren, and on the day of 
the Lexington battle he repaired to tlie scene of action, 
and assisted in dressing the wounds of some of the militia. 
At Warren's solicitation, he was com. surgeon of Gridley's 
art. reg. 19 Apr. 1775 ; and 1 Jan. 1777, was com. hospital 
surgeon and physician, occup3'ing during the remainder 
of the war the house of Beverley Robinson, a Loyalist, 
who had joined the British, situated on the Hudson River 
opposite West Point. A part of this house was the head- 
quarters of the traitor Arnold, and there his infamous 
treason was planned. In all the duties pertaining to his 
office Dr. Eustis was found faithful, humane, and indefati- 
gable. His urbanity and social (qualities led him to an 
acquaintance and friendly intercourse with many persons 
of high rank and respectability of character. He was at 
one time offered a commission in the line of the army as 
lieut.-col. of artillery, by Gen. Knox ; but he j)i'eferred 
the medical department, where he might improve in the 
knowledge of his profession. He was one of the last of 
the medical staff who remained in the service, and at the 
close of the war commenced practice in Boston. Li 
1786-87, he was a volunteer surgeon in the army of Gen. 
Lincoln, which quelled Shays's rebellion. In 1788 he 
became a member of the General Court, taking a con- 
spicuous part in the debates during six or seven years in 
succession ; served for two years on the Board of Coun- 
cillors ; was a member of Congress in 1800-5, and again 
in 1821-23 ; was a zealous advocate of the administration 
of President Madison, and was app. by him in 1809 Sec- 
retary of War, which office he resigned on the surrender of 
Hull's army in 1812. Jn 1815 he was app. minister to Hol- 
land, and was Gov. of Mass. in 1823-25, dying in Boston 
while in office on Feb. G, 1825. Vice-Pres. of the Soc. in 
1786-1810, and again in 1820, and delivered the oration 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 301 

before the Soc. 4 July, 1791. He received the honorary- 
degree of LL.D. from H. U. in 1823, and received literary 
honors from other colleges. He was a member, and for 
some time a counsellor, of the Mass. Medical Society. Dr. 
Eustis possessed a heart replete with humane and social 
feelings, and his hospitable and graceful manners rendered 
his house — the Gov. Shirley mansion in Roxbury — a happy 
resort to his friends and to strangers. 

His descent from William ^ Eustis (estate administered on 3 Jan. 
1694-95) and wife Sarah, who d. 12 June, 1718, x. 74, early set- 
tlers in Boston, was through William,^ h. 25 Feb. 1G60-G1, d. 10 
Feb. 1736-37, who m. 29 Oct. 1688, Sarah, dau. of Thomas Cut- 
ler, who d. 28 June, 1748, ae. 85 ; Benjamin,^ housewright, will 
proved, 9 Jan. 1761, who m. 4 Mar. 1713-14, Katharine, dau. of 
George Ingersoll; Benjamin^ (his father), housewright, and a lieut. 
in the A. and H. Art. Co., b. 16 Apr. 1720, who m. in Cambridge, 
11 May, 1749, Elizabeth, dau. of Abraham and Prudence (Han- 
cock) Hill. She d. 30 May, 1775, se. 47. William m. Caroline, 
dau. of Woodbury Langdon of N.H., who survived him many years. 
No issue. 

WILLIAM EUSTIS. 

Eldest son of Gen. Abraham and nephew of Gov. Wil- 
liam, whom he succ. in 1848 ; was b. Boston, 1 Dec. 1810, 
and grad. at West Point Mil. Acad, in 1830. Entering the 
8th U. S. Inf., he became 1st lieut. of dragoons in June, 
1836 ; capt. Mar. 1845, and served in the Mexican war; 
resigned, 4 Aug. 1849. Civil engineer and city surveyor 
of Natchez, Miss., in 1866 ; resides in Natchez. 

Of Westminster, Mass. ; d. Oct. 1821. Ensign in Put- 
nam's (5th) reg. 1777-81 ; com. lieut. 25 Apr. 1781 ; in 
Vose's (1st), 1783. 

By wife Dorcas, who survived him, he had — 
David, living in Thomaston, Me., in 1840. 
Sarait, m. a Collier, living in Oxford, Me., in 1864. 



302 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Ensign in Bigelow's (15th) reg. 1777 ; com. lieut. 2 Apr. 
1779; in (5th) reg. in 1783. 

Sonatijan jFclt. 

He was b. Dedham, Mass., Apr. 1718 ; d. Wrentham, 
Mass., 5 Nov. 1800. Served in Pond's Co. at the battle 
of Lexington ; com. lieut. in Shepard's (4th) reg. 1 Jan. 
1777 ; capt. same reg. 14 Oct. 1781 ; Avas in Brooks's reg. 
in 1783, and after the war returned to his farm Avith a 
constitution broken down by hardship and exposure in the 
service. 

He m. 18 Nov. 1784, Eunice Brastow. She d. 1802. They 

had — 
Patty, 29 Sept. 1785, m. Everett, d. Attleboro'. 
Oliver. 
JosEPn, 13 Nov. 1788, m. Anna Maria Foote, d. Savannali 30 

Jan. 1861. 
Nancy, 5 Apr. 1793, m. John C. Proctor, d. Boston 20 Sept. 

1865. 

OLIVER FELT. 

Eldest son of Jonathan, Avhom he succ. in 1826 ; b. 
Wrentham, 20 March, 1787, d. there 5 Nov. 1846. Col. 
Felt was prominent in town affairs, represented Wrentham 
several years in the State Legislature ; was a member of the 
State Senate in 1845, and was a colonel of militia. 

He m. Ahnira Sliopard. His eldest son Oliver S. d. in 1838, 
and his son Oliver S. d. in 1869. He had also J. A. Felt, mer- 
cliant of Boston ; and Anxie E. B. Felt. 

^TotJias iFrntallr. 

Of Kittery, Me. ; d. there about Sept. 1784. Capt. in 
Scamman's reg. 1 May, 1775, and present at siege of Bos- 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 303 

ton ; in Phinney's reg. 1 Jan. 8 Dec. 1776 ; com. major, 
6 Nov. 1776, in Brewer's reg. ; com. lieut.-col. in M. Jack- 
son's (8th) reg. 6 Mar. 1779 ; in (10th) reg. 1782-83. 

James IStriuartrs JJiirr jFinlci?. 

Com. surg eon in Bigelow's (15th) reg. 25 Feb. 1778 ; 
in (5th) reg. in 1783. Received the honorary degree of 
A.M. from Brown U. in 1803. 

Samuel jFiulrg. 

Com. surgeon in Bradford's (14th) reg. 10 Ajn-. 1778 ; 
in Brooks's (7th) reg. 1782-83. 

Joscpij jFisitc, ^.B. 

He was b. Lexington, Mass., 24 Dec. 1752 ; d. 25 Sept. 
1837. Having studied medicine and begun to practise at 
the opening of the Kevolutionary war, he was com. sur- 
geon's mate in Vose's (1st) reg. 1777 ; surgeon, 17 Apr. 
1779 ; served in the army seven years, and was present at 
the surrender of Burgoyne and of Cornwallis. Dr. Fiske 
was a member of the Mass. Med. Soc. 

His descent from David ^ Fiske, of Watertown, 1637, was through 
David,'^ h. 1624, d. 14 Feb. 1710, who m. Lydia Cooper; David,^ 

b. 1 Sept. 1648, d. 23 Oct. 1729, who m. Sarah ; Robert,'' 

b. 8 May, 1681, d. 18 Apr. 1753, m. 27 May, 1718, Mary Stimpson ; 
Joseph'' (his father), b. 18 Oct. 1726, d. 8 Jan. 1808, m. 13 Dec. 
1751, Hepzibah Raymond. Hem. July 31, 1794, Elizabeth Stone, 
b. 13 Nov. 1770, d.'e Mar. 1849. They had — 

Elizabeth, 15 June, 1795, m. Richard Fisher, and d. in Bloom- 
ingdale, N.Y., 28 Mar. 1834. 

JOSKPH. 

Jonas Stone, 9 May, 1799, d. 23 March, 1828, m. Pamela 
Brown, and had 2 children. 

Sarah Ann, 18 May, 1802, d. 27 Dec. 1825. 
Franklin, 16 Oct. 1804, d. 23 Mar. 1868. 
Elmira, 24 June, 1808, d. 22 Jan. 1834. 



304 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 



JOSEPH FISKE. 

Eldest son of Dr. Joseph, whom he succ. in 1839 ; b. 
Lexmgton, Mass., 9 Feb. 1797, d. there 4 May, 1860; 
member Mass. Med. Soc. 

He m. 12 Nov. 1829, Mary Gardner Kennard of Eliot, Me., b. 

17 Oct. 1795, and had — 
Joseph Alexander, 8 Mar. 1830, m. Love Langdon Dodge 

of JNIethnen, and lives at Lawrence. 
Timothy Kennard, 5 Ang. 1833, m. 25 Dec. 1857, Barbara 

Peters. 

Com. ensign in Yose's (1st) reg. 23 Oct. 1781 ; living 
in Blue Hill, Me., in 1799. 

Cora, ensign, 15 Jmie, 1781 ; in (Gtli) reg. in 1782-83. 

Of Cape Ann ; d. in the West Indies, 16 Dec. 1793. 
Com. ensign in M. Jackson's (8th) reg. ; lieut. 6 Oct. 
1780, and served to the close of the war. His widow 
Lucy was living in Gloucester in 1801. Two daus. and a 
son, aged seven years, were living in 1796. 

He was b. Watertown, 1 Feb. 1756, d. there 31 Dec. 
1823. Lieut, and adjutant in Wigglesworth's (13th) reg. 
in 1777-78 ; in Sullivan's R.I. campaign in 1778 ; com. 
capt. same reg. 20 June, 1779 ; in Mellen's (3d) reg. in 
1783. Selectman of Watertown in 1790 and 1792. 

Edmvnd, his grandfather, was of Newton, m. Mercy 1718, 

d. 14 Oct. 172G. Kdmund. his father, b. Newton 23 Sejit. 171i», 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 305 

was a cordwainer of Watertown, m. 17 Mar. 174.5, Abigail 
Whitney. 

John m. 8 Jan. 178 — , Mary Cooke of Newton, and had — 

Charles, b. 1 Nov. 1782, killed in a duel. 

Harriet, 10 Sept. 1784, m. Wm. Smith of Lowell. 

Elizabeth, m. Charles Smith of Quincy. 

Maria, 14 Dec. 1787, m. Britton of Oxford, N.H. 

John. 

JOHN FOWLE. 

Son of Capt. John, whom he siicc. in 1824 ; b. Water- 
town, 3 Nov. 1789, killed 25 Apr. 1838, by the explosion 
of steamer " Moselle " on the Ohio River. Com. 2cl lieut. 
9th Inf. 9 Apr. 1812 ; 1st lieut. Apr. 1813 ; capt. June, 
1814, and wounded in the battle of Niagara; maj. 3d Inf. 
4 Mar. 1833 ; lieut.-col. 6th Inf. 25 Dec. 1837. Instructor 
in infantry tactics at West Point Milit. Academy, 1833-38. 

By Pauline Cazenove of Alexandria, D.C., he had a dau. who 
m. Henry F. (Smith) Durant. 

(Jtonstant jFrccman. 

He was bapt. at Charlestown, Mass., 27 Feb. 1757, and 
entered the Boston Latin School in 1766. Com. lieut. in 
Knox's art. in 1776 ; capt. -lieut. in Crane's art. 1 Oct. 
1778 ; app. capt. 2d U. S. Inf. Mar. 1791, — declined ; com. 
maj. 1st artillerists and engineers, 28 Feb. 1795 ; lieut.-col. 
1st art. 1 Apr. 1802; bvt.-col. 10 July, 1812; mustered 
out on reduction of the army, 15 June, 1815. Accountant 
of the Navy Department at Washington, and fourth audi- 
tor from Mar. 1816 to his d., 27 Feb. 1824. 

His descent from Samuel^ Freeman, of Watertown, 1630, was 
through Samuel;^ b. 11 May, 1638, d. Eastham 30 Jan. 1712, who 
m. 12 May, 1658, Mary, dau. of Constant Southworth ; Constant,^. 
b. 31 Mar. 1669, d. 1745, who m. 11 Oct. 1694, Jane Treat; 
Constant,^ b. 25 Mar. 1700, d. 1759, who m. 20 Oct. 1726, Ann 

39 



306 BIOGKAFHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Lark in ; Constant, Jr. ^ {hia father), who m. 23 Sept. 1754, Lois 
Cobb, and had Col. Constant and Rev. James Freeman, D.D. 

Admiral C. H. Davis, son of Hon. Daniel Davis and Lois, sister 
of Col. Constant Freeman, succ. him in the Society. 

fi)omas 3I9aij(38 iFi'crman. 

Son of David and Abigail (Davis) Freeman ; b. Barn- 
stable, Mass., 25 Mar. 1757; com. ensign in Bradford's 
(14th) reg. 31 Jan. 1777 ; lieut. 1 Apr. 1778 ; in Brooks's 
(7th) reg. in 1783. 

Grandson and legatee of Mrs. Bethia Gorham, of Barnstable, 
widow. His mother, a widow, was appointed his guardian, 11 July, 
1769. Her will, 18 Sept. 1788, gives to her sister Lucy Garrett, and 
to Sarah, wife of Isaiah Parker, all her property, in ease her son T. 
D. Freeman does not return. 

Samuel iFrinfe* 

He was the son of Dr. John, and grand-son of Rev. 
Thomas Frink, the first ordained minister of Rutland, 
Mass., and was b. there in 17G3. Entering the army in 
1780, he was com. ensign in M. Jackson's (8th) reg. 5 
July, 1782, and d. Paxton, Mass., 1846. 

He m. 1790 Ester Nichols of Carlisle, and had — 

John Adams, Kennebec, Me., 1809. resides in Paxton, Mass. 

Isabella, Rutland, Mass., 1815, m. Ebenezer Parker, and 

resides in Holden, Mass. 
Alice, b. 1818. 
Samuel, b. 1820. 

Samuel jFt:ost, 

He Avas b. Framingham, Mass., 13 July, 1752 ; entered 
the army in 1776 ; com. lieut. in Nixon's (6th) reg. 1 Jan. 
1777 ; lieut. and adjutant, 1778-79 ; adjutant and paym. 
1780-81, continuing in the latter capacity until 1784 ; com. 
capt. 12 Oct. 1782. He was four yeai's a selectman, and a 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 307 

trustee of the Frainingham Academy, and d. there 1 Nov. 
1817. Slice, by S. F. Arnokl. 

His descent from Thomas'^ Frost, of Sudbury, who m. 12 Nov. 
1668, Mary Goodridge, was through Samuel,^ b. 23 Nov. 1686, d- 
2 Aug. 1736, who m. 1 Feb. 1710-11, Elizabeth Rice; SamueP 
(his father), b. 13 Dec. 1715, d. 12 Mar. 1799, who m. 19 June, 
1750, Rebeckah How. He m. 3 Sept. 1787, Mary Heard of Way- 
land. They had — 

Sarah, 28 Dec. 1788, m. in 1809 Thos. Arnold. 

Rebeckah, 28 Apr. 1791, d. an. 38. 

Mary, 25 Apr. 1793, m. Chapin Allen. 

Abigail, 4 Apr. 1795. 

Clarissa, 23 May, 1797, m. Henry How of Sudbury. 

Hannah, 15 Aug. 1799. 

Harriet, 17 Feb. 1802, m. Reuben Hunt. 

Eliza, 12 Oct. 1804, m. Ransom, lives in Me. 

Julia Ann, 12 Mar. 1807, m. Joseph Taylor of Kennebunk. 

iScnIamin jFtoti^inflljam. 

He was b. Boston, Mass., 6 Apr. 1734 ; d. Charlestown, 
Mass., 19 Aug. 1809. He was a cabinet-maker ; served in 
Gridley's art. in the war of 1756-63, and was a capt.-lieut. 
in his reg. in 1775, and in Knox's in 1776 ; com. capt. in 
Crane's art. 1 Jan. 1777 ; served through the whole war, 
and was wounded at Germantown. 

Son of Benjamin and Mary (Edwards) Frothingham, m. 4 May, 
1762, Mary, dau. of John and Judith (Upham) Deland, and 
had — 

Mary, 17 Feb. 1763, d. unm. 22 Oct. 1829. 

Esther, 17 Dec. 1764, d. 1765. 

Elizabeth, 22 Feb. 1767, d. young. 

E)sther, 7 Jan. 1770, m. Rev. Daniel Emerson of Hollis, d. 14 
Mar. 1849. 

Sarah, 19 July, 1772, m. Seth Sweetser of Newburyport. 

Benjamin, bapt. 3 Apr. 1774, d. 1 Oct. 1775. 

Benjamin. 

Hannah, d. 23 Aug. 1830, «. 51. 



308 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 



BENJAMIN FROTHIXGH AM . 

Eldest sou of Benjamin, whom he succ. in 18:26 ; h. 
Charlestown. d. there Aug. 1882. le. oO. He was a cabinet- 
maker, and d. a bachelor. 

jfrriirnrfe jfrnr. 

He was b. -Vndover, i' June. 1700 ; d. a pensioner in 
X.Y. city, oO Jan. 1828. Com. ensign in Vose's (^Ist) 
reg. 1 Feb. 1781 to 8 Xov. 1788 ; capt. 1st U. S. artillerists 
and engineei-s. 2 June. 1794 — 1 June. 1802. 

Son of John, of Amlover. m. June. 1780. Margaret, dan. of Capt 

D:miel Maokay. They had: Margarkt 0.. b. 1708. who m. 

Forman : and Daniel Mackat. who joined the N.Y. Society in 
188»\ and was succ. by hi? son I^reden'cl- on his decease. 8 Feb. 18o9. 

5ioim jFuUrr. 

Of Sherborn, Rurland County. "S't. : living in 1820. 
Lieut, in Bradford's Cl4th~) reg.: com. capr. 1(3 Apr. 
1780: in H. Jackson's i^Mli) reg. in 1788. 

Conductor in Knox's art. reg. in 1776 ; lient. and ad- 
jutant in Crane's art. 1777 : com. capt. -lient. 22 Feb. 1780. 

.^ntirru) vi^arrrtt. 

Of Barnstable, where he was a pensioner ; living in 
1820. Ensign in Brooks's {^ItK) reg. in 1780 : com. lieut. 
25 Oct. 1781 ; in 6th reg. 1788. 

"J^ichard Garrett. oiB-Arnstahle. ra. in 1721 Ehzabeth Stevens 
of Rochester. Mass.. and had Andreir. b. 12 Oct. 1723. who in 1753 
m. Temjiei-auce Parker. The latter I suppose to be the parents of 
Lieut. A. G." — Letter of Ber. Fredericl Freeman. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 309 

Jof)n (GtotQt, 

Capt. George was h. Braintree, Mass., 1751. He was 
one of those who, disguised as Indians, helped to destroy 
the tea in Boston Harbor in 1773 ; was com. ensign in 
Gardner's, afterward Bond's (25tli) reg. May, 1775 ; 2d 
lieut. Jan. 1776 ; 1st lieut. Apr. 1776 ; 1st lieut. Crane's art. 
1 Jan. 1777 ; capt.-lieut. 1 Oct. 1778. He served from the 
commencement to the close of the* war ; was present at 
the siege of Boston ; was instrumental in saving the boats 
and baggage of Sullivan's retreating army at Chambly, 15 
June, 1776, and in protecting the rear ; and was wounded 
in the leg, at the defence of F(jrt Mifflin, on the Dela- 
ware, in Nov. 1777, by a ball from the " Augusta," 64, 
from which he afterward suffered severely, and finally 
died from its effects. Capt. George was a faithful soldier ; 
so much so, as to acquire from his comrades the sobriquet 
of " Captain Particular." He was a devoted patriot, a 
man of high moral character, and a finished gentleman, 
frequent])- acting as escort to Mrs. Knox at West Point 
when the General was engaged. When Washington vis- 
ited Massachusetts, he was saluted by Capt. George from 
the doorway of his house, which his lameness did not 
allow him to leave, the General stopping his carriage to 
speak with him. 

After the war, he, with Capt. Thomas Vose and Major 
Daniel Jackson, engaged in business in Watertown, in 
which he continued until his death, 22 Jan. 1820. 

He was the son of John George and Pliipjjs; and m. 29 Oct. 

1787, Margaret, dau. of Capt. Wm. Main of Charleston, S.C. She 
d. Thomaston, Me., 8 Sept. 1854, se. 9.5. They had — 

William Main, 29 Oct. 1789, lost at sea. 

John, Jr., 2 July, 1791, d. 9 July, 1833. 

Sarah Main, 2 Dee. 1792, rn. 28 Oct. 1819, Ch. Merrill of 
Thomaston. 



310 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Marianne, 2 Sept. 1794, m. 30 Sept. 1822, John O'Brien of 
Thomaston, Me., cl. 23 Sept. 1870. 

Lucy Jones, 10 Sept. 1796, m. Clinton Thayer of Watertown, 
d. 18 June, 1821. 

Margaret, 16 Mar. 1803, m. 1824 Hon. John Ruggles of 
Thomaston, who is now (1873) living, at the age of 84. 

Of Rhode Island ; d, Charlestown, Mass., 6 Nov. 1818, 
ae. 68. Com, adjutant of Glover's (14tli) reg. 1 Jan. 
1776; capt. 12 Mar. 1776; maj. 29 July, 1778; com- 
mandant of Washington's body-guard, 1776-79 ; in Sprout's 
(2d) reg. in 1782-83 ; slightly wounded at the capture of 
one of the British redoubts at Yorktown. In 1798, Gen. 
Knox recommended him for lieut.-col. -commandant of a 
regiment about being raised, saying: "No officer of the 
late American army would discipline and command a regi- 
ment with better effect." 

He m. Jan. 1787, Catharine, dan. of Stephen Hall of Boston. A 
dau. Catharink N. m. A. C. Park. 

ALEXANDER HAMILTON GIBBS. 
Eldest son of Major Caleb, whom he succ. in 1819. He 
was b. Boston, 2 Aug. 1791 ; was a merchant of Roxbury ; 
capt. Ancient and Hon. Art. Co. in 1823 ; and d. 5 Mar. 

1827. 

Of Brookfield ; ensign in Putnam's (5th) reg. ; com. 
lieut. 17 Apr. 1782. Subsequently joined the N.Y. Soci- 
ety, and was living in N.Y. with a government pension in 
1820. Left a widow, Ruth, who was living in 1840. 

Katijan (SJootrale. 

He was b. Brookfield, Mass., 11 Nov. 1744. His early 
years were spent upon a farm in Rutland, where he also 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 311 

learned the trade of a brick-mason, thus laynig the founda- 
tion for a vigorous, muscuhir frame, which enabled him in 
after years to undergo the fatigues and hardships to which 
he was exposed. About 1770, he removed with his wife 
and three children to Brookfield, where he purchased a 
farm, upon which he resided when the war of the Revolu- 
tion began. He had taken an active part in the organi- 
zation of the volunteer " minute-men " of that day, and 
was one of the first to join the army around Boston, after 
the Lexington fight. In July — Nov. 1775, he was a lieut. 
in David Brewer's reg. stationed at Roxbury. On March 
15, 1776, he was com. a 1st lieut. in Bond's (25th) reg., 
which, in April folloAving, he accompanied to New York, 
where he was detached for service in the engineer depart- 
ment under Lieut.-Col. Rufus Putnam, while his regiment 
proceeded to take part in the invasion of Canada. Em- 
ploj^ed in constructing works to protect New York, he 
took part also in the other operations for its defence. Com. 
capt. 1 Jan. 1777 in Rufus Putnam's (5th) reg., with 
which he joined the army of Gen. Gates, near Stillwater, 
N.Y., then opposing the invasion of Gen. Burgoyne. The 
woods being filled with hostile savages, no information 
could be obtained respecting the enemy until Capt. Good- 
ale voluntaril}^ undertook to perform this hazardous duty, 
in which, however, he succeeded perfectl}^ having pene- 
trated the hostile camp and brought off six prisoners, be- 
sides gaining the desired information. His success induced 
Gen. Gates to continue him in this kind of duty, in which 
he had, before the surrender of Burgoyne, captured 121 
prisoners from the enemy. In the battle of Oct. 7, at 
Saratoga, Putnam's regiment was prominently engaged. 
Toward the close of the action, the 5th and 6th (Nixon's) 
regiments, under the command of Putnam, stormed in front 
the redoubt which was in advance of the extreme right of 



312 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

the British line, which was occupied by the German troops 
of Col. Breyman, at the same moment that Jackson's 
(8th) reg., led by Lieut. -Col. Brooks, entered on its left 
and rear. Burgoyne having made a retrograde movement 
after the battle, a pursuit was ordered by Gen. Gates ; 
Capt. Goodale, with a party of volunteers, leading the 
advance. It was soon found that the enemy was strongly 
posted, instead of being on the retreat ; and the troops 
were recalled, not, however, until Capt. Goodale had cap- 
tured an advanced party of the British, consisting of one 
officer and thirty-five men. Before retreating, a party of 
volunteers cut adrift some boats loaded with Burgoyne's 
stores, which were tied to the right bank of the Hudson. 
This bold act " was accomplished chiefly through the fear- 
less activity of Capt. Goodale, who was noted for daring 
exploits." On the 17th of October Burgoyne surrendered. 
In* the latter part of August, 1778, Capt, Goodale was 
ordered to hold an important point near Valentine's Hill, 
an advanced position of the force under Gen. Charles Scott, 
who watched the British outposts near King's Bridge, N.Y. 
Here he was attacked on the 30th by an overwhelming- 
force under Lieut.-Cols. Simcoe and Emmerick ; and after 
a brave and determined resistance, prolonged until two- 
thirds of his small party were slain or disabled, he was 
wounded and taken prisoner. After his return home, in 
the latter part of 1780, he suffered from a long sickness, 
no doubt induced by the horrible prison life to which he 
had been subjected. After recovering, he continued in 
service throughout the war, and became entitled to half-pay, 
commutation, and bounty land ; but failed to receive the 
promotion to which his important services and his suffer- 
ings full}^ entitled him, holding the rank of major by brevet 
only. After the war, he bought a farm in Brookfield, and 
was remarkable for his industry and skill in its manage- 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 313 

ment. This he sold, however, early in 1788, on associating 
himself Avith "The Ohio Company," and removed with 
his family to Marietta, whence he went in Apr. 1789, to 
Belpre. His removal to Ohio was performed in a novel 
manner, the wagon containing his household goods and 
part of his family being drawn by a team composed of 
three cows and a bull, which he had previously trained to 
work together, and with which the journey was performed 
with ease and in as short a time as it could have been with 
oxen. This stock, which he had carefully selected, after- 
ward became highly celebrated in south-eastern Ohio, 
where it was known as the " Goodale breed." 

Soon after his arrival, in Aug. 1788, he was appointed 
by Gov. St. Clair a captain of light infantry ; and on the 
erection at Belpre, in 1790, of a stockaded fort to protect 
the settlers from the Indians, this work, which was called 
the " Farmer's Castle," was placed under his command. 
This having become overcrowded, early in 1793 a palisaded 
work containing two block-houses was built about a mile 
below it, called " Goodale's Garrison," in which he placed 
his family about Feb. 20, 1798. On Mar. 1, while at 
work in a clearing about forty or fifty rods from the garri- 
son, he was surprised and carried o& captive by a party of 
Indians. His fate was not known until years afterward, 
when three of this same party informed Col. Meeker at 
Detroit that they had seized, gagged, and carried off a 
man whose description exactly answered that of Major 
Goodale. They intended to take him to Detroit and get 
a large ransom for him ; but somewhere on the Miami, or at 
Sandusky, he fell sick and died. This was a severe blow 
to his family, and also to the little isolated community of 
vvhi*^h he was the life and soul. " His memory," says 
Judge Barker, one of the early colonists, "was for many 

. •.. ;',.-,! and green in the hearts of his contemporary 

40 



314 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

pioneers, and is still cherished with respect and affection 
by their descendants." 

His descent from Mohert ^ Goodale, b. England, 1 603—4, who with 
his wife Katherine left Ipswich, Eng., Api\ 1634, and settled in 
Salem, was through Zac/iariah,~ b. Salem, 1639, who m. Elizabeth^ 
dau. of Edward and Mary Beauchamp ; Jokn,^ b. 10 Aug. 1681, 
went to Marlborough, Mass., ab. 1702, d. 11 May, 1752, who m. 8 
Sept. 1703, Elizabeth, dau. of John and Elizabeth (Baker) Witt of 
Lynn, who d. 29 July, 1738; Solomon'^ (his father), b. 24 May, 
1707, d. 1744-45, who m. 18 May, 1732, Anna, widow of Samuel 
Walker, dau. of John and Anna (Whittaker) Hinds. 

He m. 11 Sept. 1765, Elizabeth, dau. of John and Susannah 
(Gates) Phelps of Rutland (b. 1 Apr. 1743, d. Franklinton, O., 24 
Jan. 1809). None of his sons married or had issue. Five of his 
daus. m., one settled in E.I. and the other four in Ohio. They all 
had issue, and left numerous descendants. 

Sarah, 28 May, 1766. 

Samuel, 1 Feb. 1768, d. 23 Dec. 1770. 

Timothy Wake, 21 Feb. 1770. 

Elizabeth, 7 Oct. 1772, who m. Wanton Casey. 

Susan, (probably) 1774. 

Cynthia, 31 July, 1775. 

Theodosia, (prob.) 1777. 

LiNCOilN, 25 Feb. 1782. 

Lauretta, (prob.) 1784. 

LINCOLN GOODALE, M.D. 

He was b. Brookfield, Mass., 25 Feb. 1782 ; was for 
many years a physician of Columbus, O., and succ. his 
father, Capt. Goodale, in 1830. He d. unm., and was him- 
self succ, in 1870, by Gen. Silas Casey, son of his sister 
Elizabeth and Major Wanton Casey. 

jFi'ancis 2Lc JSaron CSootrlm'n. 

He was b. in a town adjoining Plymouth, Mass., ab. 
1760, d. Frankfort, Me., 19 Feb. 1816. He was com. sur- 
geon's mate of Bradford's (14th) reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; was 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 315 

in H. Jackson's (9th) reg. in 1781 ; in Mellen's (3d) reg. 
in 1783. Removing to Frankfort, Me., in 1796, he prac- 
tised medicine there until his death (which was caused by 
being thrown from his carriage) ; and was also a justice of 
the C. C. P. of Hancock County (1811), and a judge of the 
Sup. Court. He m. at Plymouth, Mass., in July, 1787, 
Jane, eldest dau. of Rev. Chandler Robbing. 

BENJAMIN APTHORP GOULD. 

Capt. Benjamin Gould, the grandfather of B. A. Gould, 
was b. Topsfield, Mass., 1751; d. Newburyport, 1841. 
Ensign in Little's reg. and wounded 19 Apr. 1775 : took 
part in the battles of Bennington, Stillwater, and Saratoga ; 
and was at West Point at the time of Arnold's treason, 
which he was one of the earliest to detect. His father, 
Benjamin Apthorp, b. Lancaster, Mass., 15 June, 1787, 
d. Boston, 24 Oct. 1859, was editor of the first American 
editions of Virgil, Ovid, and Horace. 

He was b. Boston, 27 Sept. 1824 ; H. U. 1844 ; received 
a degree from Gottingen in 1848 ; and studied at European 
universities under Airy, Arago, Encke, and Gauss. Re- 
turning, he established and maintained for 12 years the 
" Astronomical Journal ; " and while in charge of the 
longitude work of the U. S. Coast Survey (1852-67) 
perfected the method of longitude determinations by 
means of the electric telegraph. He organized the Dudley 
Observatory in Albany in 1856-59. During the war he 
had charge of the Statistical Department of the Sanitary 
Commission, and at its close published the " Military and 
Anthropological Statistics of American Soldiers," a work of 
vast labor, containing an immense collection of materials 
relative to the physical statistics of man. In 1862-65 he 
had charge of the unreduced work of the Washington 
Observatory, covering a period of more than 12 years. 



I 

316 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Now (1873) Director of the National Argentine Observa- 
tory in Cordoba, which he has constructed and organized. 
President of Amer. Asso. for Adv. of Science in 1868, 
and member of various scientific societies and academies 
of Europe. Many of his astronomical investigations have 
been published. Adm. in 1864 under the rule adopted by 
the Gen. Soc. in May, 1854. 

He m. in 1861 Mary Apthorp, only dau. of Josiali Quincy, Jr., 
and lias four daughters and one son, 
Benjamin Apthorp, b. 8 Feb. 1870. 

He Avas b. Roxbury, Mass., 10 Mar. 1741, d. there 
16 Dec. 1783. Before the war he was a trader in Roxbury, 
and a brigadier with the rank of lieut. in the Governor's 
Horse-guards (1774). ]\Iajor and lieut. -col. of Heath's 
reg. early in 1775 ; col. (24th, late Bond's), 1 July, 1775 ; 
and of the 3d continental reg. Mass. line, until com. 
brig.-gen. 7 Jan. 1783. In the following Oct. he returned, 
home on account of sickness, and died a few weeks after- 
ward. He performed several daring exploits during the 
siege of Boston. On the night of 2 June, 1775, he carried 
off from Deer Island 800 sheep and lambs, together with 
a number of cattle ; and on July 12th, with 136 men, he 
went to Long Island, and burnt the barns and other build- 
ings, and stores collected there. His reg. was ordered to 
Canada in Apr. 1776 ; but rejoined Washington's army in 
Dec. just before the battles of Trenton and Princeton ; 
and was in Nixon's brig, in the operations and battles 
ending with the surrender of Burgoyne. He was a mem- 
ber and an officer of Christ Church, Boston, of which his 
brother James was rector. 

He was the son of John and Catharine Greaton • ud i v» 17(>0 ni. 
Sarah, dau. of Richard and Ann Humphreys. B'x \, li d. I Aug. 



I 

CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 317 

1759, se. 59 ; Ann d. 20 Apr. 1753, as. 33. Mrs. Sarah Greaton, b. 

9 Aug. 1742, m. 2d Samuel Ridgway, and d. 14 May, 1822. John 
and Sarah had — 

Ann. 6 Dec. 1762, m. 23 Feb. 1784, Samuel Heath of Roxbury, 

and d. 28 Nov. 1830, s. p. 
Richard H. 

LuCRETiA, 20 Dec. 1769, d. unm. 12 Oct. 1857. 
John, 30 Sept. 1771, d. 26 Apr. 1772. 

Katy, 27 Jan. 1773, d. Mar. 1859, m. a Dana of Boston, s. p. 
Sally, 7 Dec. 1774, d. 13 Sept. 1775. 

Sally M., 13 Feb. 1781, m. Joseph Heath, d. s. p. Mar. 1863. 
Harriet, 19 Sept. 1782, d. 7 Sept. 1783. 
John, 31 Oct. 1783, d. 17 Sept. 1791. 

He was b. Boston, 1761; d. iinm. in N.Y. city, in Feb. 
1815. James, his father, brother of Gen. John, was b. 

10 July, 1730, d. 1773 ; Y. C. 1754. He was a Prot. 
Episc. clergyman ; was rector of Christ Church, Boston, in 
1759-67, and from 1767 to his death of the church at 
Huntington, L.I. He m. in Boston Mary, dau. of John, 
and gr.-gr.-dau. of the celebrated Rev. John Wheelwright, 
a founder and the first minister of Exeter. His widow, 
after his decease, m. Dr. B. Y. Prime, and d. Mar. 1835, 
-en. 91. John W. Avas com. ensign in Greaton's (3d) reg. 
16 July, 1782, and after the war commanded a merchant 
ship. He joined the N.Y. Society by transfer in 1796, and 
was succ. in that Society by his nephew John W. 

• James, second son of Rev. James, b. Huntington, L.I., 14 Sept. 

1773, d. N.Y. city 16 Nov. 1824, m. in 1804 Elizabeth Gatton 

1 'orrist^r, and left 2 sons and 4 daughters The sons were — 

jAMts Monroe, 19 Nov. 1820, d. 9 June, 1834. 

,JoHN "VVheelavright, 1 Jan, 1823, succ. his uncle in the N.Y. 

*y ; resides in Brooklyn. He is now (1872-73) acting 

,i': of the N.Y. Soc, and was in 1872 one of its delegates 



318 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

to the General Society. Has two sons, John IF., b. 23 Mar. 
1855, and James H., b. 1 Jan. 1864. 

Son of Gen. John ; b. Boston, 8 Aug. 1765 ; d. N. Or- 
leans, in Jul}^, 1815. Com. ensign in Greaton's (3d) reg. 
30 Nov. 1781 ; app. lieut. 23d U. S. Inf. 4 Mar. 1791 ; 
severely wounded in St. Clair's battle with the Miami 
Indians, 4 Nov. 1791 ; capt. Feb. 1793—1 June, 1802. 

He m. 1st, 6 Feb. 1787, Sarah Bourn, who d. Sept. 1798, in the 
Western Terr., and left a dau. Lucretia A., now (1873) living at 
Jamaica Plains, Mass. ; and a son, John, who d. in 1866, in Charles- 
ton, S.C., leaving an unm. dau. now residing there. This son was 
adm. a member of the Society in 1816. Lucretia A. Greaton has in 
her possession a miniature portrait of her grandfather, the General. 

iFvancis <&ttt\i. 

He was b. Charlestown, Mass., 1750; d. Boston, 5 Sept 
1831. Com. 2d lieut. in Paterson's reg. 27 Mar. 1777 
1st lieut. Vose's (1st) reg. ; com. capt. 30 Aug. 1780 
deputy muster-master in R.I. 12 Feb. 1778 — 12 Jan. 1780 
Left the army, 3 Nov. 1783. Vice-Pres. Mass. Soc. Cin 
1829-31. 

Son of Wm., of Charlestown, whose father came to that place, 
m. a Sloan, and afterward returned to England, and d. there. Shortly 
afterward, his widow returned to America, and Wm., his father, was 
b. on the passage. Capt. Green m. 1st Brown, and had sev- 
eral children, none of whom survived. His 2d wife was Mary, dau. 
of Benj. Henderson. She d. Boston, 27 Aug. 1810. His 2d son, 
Ellis B., was a captain in the Mexican war. 

BENJAMIN HENDERSON GREENE. 

Third son of Capt. Francis, whom he succ. in 1853 ; 
b. 1802 ; resides in Boston, where was formerly a book- 
seller and publisher. Assist. Sec. Mass. Soc. Cin. 1859-63. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 319 

HORACE GREEN, M.D., LL.D. 

He was b. Chittenden, Vt., 2-i Dec. 1802, cl. at Green- 
mount, Sing Sing, N.Y., 29 Nov. 1866. M.D. of Micl- 
dleb. Coll. 1824 ; LL.D. of U. of Vt. 1853 ; Prof. Med- 
Coll. Castleton, Vt., 1840-43 ; and in the N.Y. Med. Coll. 
1850-60. He studied medicine in Rutland, in Phila., and 
in Paris, and practised in Rutland and in N.Y. city. Dr. 
Green was the author of several medical works ; and was 
one of the founders in 1850 of the N.Y. Med. Coll. His 
father, Dr. Zeeb, who d. Brandon, Vt., in 1821, was one of 
four brothers from Winchendon, Mass., all of whom were 
at Bunker's Hill, where two of them, one of whom was 
Major James, were mortally wounded. He was in the bat- 
tles of Bunker's Hill, White Plains, Bennington, and Sara- 
toga. The second brother, Nathan, a lieut., was killed at 
Monmouth. Dr. Green was admitted a member in 1858, 
under the rule adopted by the Gen. Soc. in May, 1854. 

He m. 1st (20 Oct. 1829) Mary Sigourney Butler, by whom he 
had — 

Anna Sophia, 27 Apr. 1832. 

He m. 2d (27 Oct. 1841) Harriet Sheldon Douglass. Children : — 

Sarah Douglass, 19 Nov. 1842. 

Harriet Sheldon, 27 Aug. 1844. 

Catharine Douglass, 5 July, 1846, d. 7 July, 1847. 

Horace Douglass, 1 Jan. 1848. 

Henry Loomis, 16 Mar. 1849. 

Mary Walton, 7 Nov. 1850, d. 6 Feb. 1854. 

John Douglass, 4 June, 1852, d. 11 Aug. 1853. 

George Walton, 9 May, 1854. 

Edmund, 26 Feb. 185G, d. 17 Sept. 1856. 

Lucia Butler, 25 Mar. 1857. 

Of Haverhill ; d. there 28 Mar. 1833. He entered the 
Revolutionary army as a private in Jan. 1776 ; was in 



320 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

1777 app. ensign in Smith's (13th) reg. ; com. lieut. 13 Feb. 
1778. He was at the battle of Harlem Heights, the bat- 
tles with Burgojaie, Sullivan's campaign in R.I., bore the 
standard of his reg. at Monmouth, and was in the battle 
of Brooklyn Heights, and the memorable retreat from 
Long Island. 

He was the son of William, of Havei-hill, after whose death he 
kept the " Sun " tavern, in that town. He left 2 daughters, Mrs. 
Plummer, Mrs. Balch ; and a son, Samuel. 

SAMUEL GREENLEAF. 

Eldest son of William, whom he succ. in 1834 ; resides 
in Haverhill. 

Joijn <S?ritrIrg. 

He was a member of Paddock's art. before the war ; 
com. capt. -lieut. of Crane's art. 1 Jan. 1777 ; and was a 
pensioner, living in N.Y. in 1820. 

James fJt^alL 

He was the son of James (son of Richard ?) Hall of 
Cohasset ; was b. there 22 Feb. 1750 ; d. 3 Apiil, 1819. 
He was a mason by trade, and before the war was a mem- 
ber of Paddock's Art. Co. In 1776 he was a serg. in 
Knox's art. reg. ; was com. 2d lieut. 20 Dec. 1776 ; 1st 
lieut. in Crane's art. reg. 12 Sept. 1777 ; capt. -lieut. 12 
Apr. 1780, and served through the war. In Aug. 1782, he 
had charge of the laboratory at Salisbury. 

By his wife, Persis, who survived him, he had— .- 
Henry Knox, b. 27 Nov. 1786. 
James, 18 Feb. 1788. 
George. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 321 

GEORGE HALL. 

Eldest surviving son of James, whom he siicc. in 1848 ; 
b. Cohasset, 29 Jan. 1790, d. there 18 Jul}-, 1854. He left 
sons, James and Henky K. 

JAMES HALL. 

Eldest son of George, whom he succ. in 1855 ; b. Co- 
hasset, y Aug. 1817 ; d. at sea, 16 Oct. 1870. He was a 
shipmaster, and at the time of his death commanded the 
ship " Orion," bound from the Chincha Islands via Callao 
to N.Y. She had doubled Cape Horn, and was in lat. 57 S. 
on the 16th of Oct., when she encountered a severe gale, 
accompanied by a heavy cross sea. During the night the 
ship broached to, and every sail set was torn to rags with 
a report like a clap of thunder. At the same time a huge 
sea towered over the port-quarter, broke on board, sweep- 
ing the mate and two men at the wheel overboard, and 
driving Capt. Hall backward through both cabiiu;, crush- 
ing him to death in the wreck. The ship was taken 
safely into Montevideo by a common sailor named Jacob 
Wreith, who assumed the command and who displayed a 
heroism and seamanship beyond all praise. To his exer- 
tions the preservation of the vessel and the lives of the 
survivors of the crew was mainly due. Capt. Hall had 
followed the sea from boyhood, and was a good man and an 
able seaman. He left a wife and daughter, a mother, a 
brother, and a sister. 

Africa ?^amliH. 

He was b. in Pembroke, Mass., 1756 ; d. Waterford, 
Me., 1808. When he was but a lad, his father removed to 
Harvard, Mass., Entering the army at the commencement 
of the Revolutionary war as a waiter, he was com. ensign 

41 



322 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

1 Jan. 1781, and. served to the end of the contest. In 
1788 he removed to Waterford, Me., then a wilderness. 
He spent his winters in teaching, and possessing more 
than ordinary talent held many responsible offices in the 
town. On one occasion, the orator engaged for the Fourth 
of July oration failing to appear, Mr. Hamlin, at the re- 
quest of his townsmen, took his place, and made an address 
with Avhich all were satisfied. Succ. by great-grandson, 
Andrew P. Perry. 

His father had a large fiimily. Four of the sons were named 
respectively Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. Another son, 
Dr. Cyrus, was the father of Vice-President Hannibal Hamlin. 
Africa ra. in 1785 Susannah Stone of Groton. They had — 

NABBY,b. Aug. 1786, d. 1863. 

PoLADORE, 2 Feb. 1789, d. 27 July, 1870. 

Almira, Feb. 1791, d. 1871. 

Susan, Feb. 1793, d. 1847. 

CosTiLLO, July, 1797, d. 1834. 

Lydia, Aug. 1801, m. John Wilkins, resides at Waterford. 

He was b. 19 Feb. 1754 : d. Roxbury, Mass., 14 May, 
1813. Ensign in Paterson's reg. 1776 ; com. lieut. in Vose's 
(1st), 28 Mar. 1777 ; capt. 6 Jan. 1780; resigned Nov. 2, 
1780, after four years and ten months' service. 

N(itha7iiel Hancock, his ancestor, was of Cambridge, in 1635. 
Belcher, by his wife Ann Ackers (b. 12 iS'ov. 1760, d. 28 Nov. 
1847), had — 

Henry Killam. Mary. 

Anne, b. Aug. 1790. Mary. 

Ebenezer, 20 Mar. 1792. Belcher, 19 July, 1800. 

William, 19 Jan. 1794. Hannah. 

John. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS 323 



HENRY KILLAM HANCOCK. 

Son of Capt. Belcher, ^vhom he succ. in 1889 ; b. Brook- 
line, Mass., 8 Dec. 1788 ; d. Boston, 8 July, 1854. He 
carried on the Inisiness of an upholsterer, in Boston. 

He m. 10 Dec. 1829, Mary Ann Slack (b. 21 Feb. 1795, d. 5 
Sept. 1871). Their only child — 

Hannah Killam, b. 18 May, 1835, m. 11 Nov. 1854, Edward A. 
Hunting of Boston. They have Mary A. and Hannah Han- 
cock. 

Dr. John Hart was b. Ipswich, Mass., 23 Oct. 1751, where 
his emigrant ancestor had settled as early as 1G36. His 
father, John Hart, was a lawyer. He studied medicine 
under the eminent Dr. John Calef; began practice in 
Georgetown, now Bath, Me., at the age of nineteen, and, 
young as he was, was well patronized. An ardent lover 
of liberty, he joined Col. Prescott's reg. as siirg. in 1775, 
and accompanied it to N.Y. in Apr. 1776. Upon its being 
disbanded, he joined the (2d) reg.. Col. John Bailey, of 
Avhich he was com. surg. 1 Jan. 1777, continuing with it 
until its disbandment in July, 1784. Dr. Hart accompanied 
his reg. in every action in which it took part ; was one of 
those appointed to attend the execution of Major Andre, 
which he described as the saddest scene he ever witnessed ; 
and he enjoyed the confidence, and in some degree the 
intimacy, of the Commander-in-chief. The latter having 
on one occasion selected him to bring §2,000 in gold from 
Boston to the camp for the use of the army. Dr. Hart 
successfully performed the hazardous duty, though a part 
of the journey was through a region infested with thieves 
and Tories. After the war, he purchased a residence in the 
South Parish of Reading, near a romantic body of water, 



324 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

now called Crystal Lake, and soon had a large profes- 
sional business, which extended to all the neighboring 
towns. Though never seeking civil or political honors. 
Dr. Hart received a liberal share of both. He was a Jus- 
tice of the Peace and of the Quorum, and also of the Ses- 
sions, and was eight years in the House and five years in 
the Senate of Mass. He dearly loved the Society of the 
Cincinnati, always attended its meetings and hoped for its 
perpetuity. He was its Vice-President from 1884 until his 
death, which occurred 27 Aj^ril, 1886. 

He m. ab. 1778 Mary, only child of Capt. Abraham Gould of 
Stoneham. She d. 15 Nov. 1838. Their children were — 

Mary, 26 Sept. 1779, m. Henry Prentiss of Paris, Me., d. 13 

Apr. 1857. 
Abraham, 29 Sept. 1782, d. 5 Oct. 1833. 
John, 15 Apr. 1785, studied medicine, and d. 5 Mar. 1810. 
William, 30 Jan. 1787, d. 17 May, 1800. 
Sarah, 23 Oct. 1788, ra. Dr. Thad. Sixmlding, S. Heading, ]\Iass., 

d. 24 June, 1829. 
Lucinda, 21 Jan. 1790, second wife of Dr. Spauhling. 
Samuel. 
Belinda, 23 Feb. 1798, d. 27 Jan. 1799. 

SAMUEL HART, M.l). 

Son of Dr. John, Avhom he succ. in 1842 ; b. Reading, 
Mass., 27 Nov. 1796 ; H. U. 1817. He studied medicine 
with his father, and at Harvard University, and received 
his medical degree in 1821. In Dec. 1822, he settled in 
Beverly, where he had considerable practice ; but, the labor 
attending it being considerably greater than tlie remunera- 
tion, he removed in July, 1828, to Oswego, N.Y., where he 
had a large j)ractice. Impaired health, resulting from ex- 
cessive professional labors, occasioned his removal in Oct. 
1855, to Brooklyn, N.Y., where his health was soon re- 
gained, and he again resumed business, in which he still 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 325 

continues. " I am happy to say " (says the Dr. in a recent 
letter) " my residence is on the spot where the battle of 
Long Island was fought in our Revolutionary war." 

Dr. Hart is a member of the American Medical Associa- 
tion ; of the Medical Societies of N.Y. and of Mass. ; has 
been president of the Medical Societies of Oswego and 
King's Counties ; and was several years president of the 
Oswego City Medical Association, and a curator of the 
medical department of the University of Buffalo. 

In Sept. 1(S23, he m. Charlotte, youngest dan. of Andrew Newell, 
merchant of Boston. They have — 

Charlotte, Ifi Nov. 1824. 

John, 6 Apr. 1827. a young man of great promise, who d. 20 
Jan. 1859. 

Russell, 9 Aug. 1829, d. 9 July, 1830. 

Georgiana Olivia, 19 June, 1831, d. Brooklyn, 10 Apr. 1863. 

Charles Samuel, 19 Dec, 183.5, educated as a druggist ; Hospital 
Steward ; had charge of the dispensary department of the hos- 
pital at the Point of Rocks, Ya., during the civil war. 

He was b. Reading, Mass., 1742 ; d. Salem, Mass., 6 May, 
1819. Served as a soldier in the French war (1756-63); 
sergeant in Batchelder's Co. of Bridge's reg. 1775 ; ensign 
in Sargent's (16th) reg. 1776 ; com. lieut. in M. Jackson's 
(8th) reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; capt. 26 July, 1779. He settled 
in Salem in 1788, where he was an officer of the customs 
and deacon of the First Church. 

Son of Thomas and Abiali ; m. 1st Tamar Flint; 2d (7 Oct. 
180.5), Abigail Cleveland. 

Of Easton ; d. 11 Feb. 1821. Sergeant in Drury's Co. 
of Knox's art. in May, 1776 ; com. 1st lieut. in Lamb's art. 



326 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

reg. 28 June, 1778 ; capt.-lieut. 1780. Silence, his widow, 
was living in 1836. 

25lnatt)an Jl^asfecU. 

Of Rochester, Mass. ; elder brother of Maj. Jonathan. 
Com. lieut. 5 July, 1776, in Marshall's (10th) reg. : lieut. 
and adjutant in Bradford's (14th) reg. 31 Jan. 1777 ; capt. 
1 Apr. 1778 ; brigade major in 1780 ; in Shepard's (4th) 
reg. 1782; in H. Jackson's in 1783 ; app. aide to Gen. R. 
Howe, 2 Sept. 1783. A grandson, Charles H. Rhett, of 
Alexandria, Va., applied in 1853 for a pension, on ac- 
count of his grandfather's Revolutionary services. 

Sonatijan Il^asfeell. 

He was b. Rochester, Mass., 19 INIar. 1755 ; d. Belpre, 
()., in Dec. 1814. Brought up on a farm, he received a 
common school education ; was com. ensign in Bradford's 
(14th) reg. 31 Jan. 1777; lieut. 5 Feb. 1779, and aide- 
de-camp to Gen. Paterson ; lieut. and adjutant in Brooks's 
(7th) reg. 1782-83 ; capt. 2d U. S. Inf. 4 Mar. 1791 ; maj. 
20 Mar. 1794, and served in Wayne's successful campaign 
against the Miami Indians in that year. Emigrating to 
Ohio in 1788, he was one of the pioneer settlers of Belpre, 
Washington Co., where he m. Phebe, a niece of Griffin 
Greene, and died leaving descendants. Gen. Wilkinson 
speaks of him as " a most excellent officer." 

Joijn Il^astinfls. 

He was b. Cambridge, Mass., 23 Mar. 1754, d. there 16 
Feb. 1839 ; H. U. 1772. Entered the army in 1775 ; com. 
capt. in H. Jackson's (16th) reg. 25 May, 1777 ; in 
Brooks's (7th) reg. in 1783. 

San of Jonathan and Elizabetli (Cotton) Hastings. He m. 7 
Dec. 178.">, Lydia, daugliter of Rirhard and Lydia (Trowbridge) 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 327 

Dana. She d. Woburn. 8 May, 1808. They had (all born in 
Woburn) — 

Harriet, 20 Sept. 1784, d. 25 Jan. 1817. 

Amklia, 30 Apr. 1786. 

Elizabeth Cotton, 8 Oct. 1787, d. 13 Oct. 1865. 

Edmund Trowbridge. 

Frances Maria, 2 Oct. 1792. 

Elmira, 3 June, 1794, d. 10 Oct. 1857. 

:Mary Augusta, 21 Oct. 1798, d. 13 Mar. 1869. 

EDMUND TROWBRIDGE HASTINGS 

Only son of John, whom he succ. in 1839; b. Woburn, 
Mass., 15 May, 1789 ; d. Medford, Mass., 13 May, 1861. 

EDMUND TROWBRIDGE HASTINGS. 

Eldest son of E. T. Hastmgs, whom he succ. in 1863 ; 
b. Cambridge, Mass., 3 Mar. 1816 ; resides in Medford, 
Mass. 

mmiium pKatlj. 

He was b. Roxbury, Mass., 2 Mar. 1737, on the estate 
settled by his ancestor in 1636, and was bred a farmer. 
His fondness for military exercises led him, in 1754, to 
join the Ancient and Hon. Artillery Company, which he 
commanded in 1770, having previously been made a capt. 
in the Suffolk reg., of which he became col. in 1774. In 
1770 he wrote sundry essa3'S in a Boston newspaper, signed 
" A Military Countryman," on the importance of military 
discipline and skill in the use of arms. He was a member 
of the General Court in 1761, and in 1771-74 ; engaged 
with zeal in the Revolutionary contest ; was a delegate to the 
Provincial Congresses of 1774-75; and was a member of 
the committees of correspondence and of safety. Appointed 
a Mass. brig.-gen. 8 Dec. 1774 ; maj.-gen. 20 June, 1775; 
brig.-gen. (continental army) 22 June, 1775 ; maj.-gen. 9 
Aug. 1776. He rendered great service in the pursuit of the 



328 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

British troops from Concord, 19 Apr. 1775, and in organiz- 
ing the rude and undisciplined army around Boston ; and 
with his brigade was stationed at Roxburj during the siege 
of Boston. 

After its evacuation, he accompanied the army to New 
York ; opposed the evacuation of that city, and near the 
close of the year 1776 was ordered to take command of 
the posts in the Highlands. 

In 1777 he was intrusted with the command of the 
eastern department, and had charge of the Saratoga (con- 
vention) prisoners. In June, 1779, he was ordered to the 
command on the Hudson, where he was stationed till the 
close of the war. Returning to his farm, he became a 
delegate to the convention that adopted the Federal Consti- 
tution in 1788 ; State senator, 1791-92 ; Judge of Probate 
for Norfolk Co. 1793 ; and in 1806 was chosen Lieut.-Gov. 
of Massachusetts, but declined the office. He d. 24 Jan. 
1814. 

In his " Memoirs," written by himfeelf, and published in 
1798, Gen. Heath says of himself: "'He is of middling 
stature, light complexion, very corpulent, and bald- 
headed." This volume contains interesting and valuable 
records of the events of the war. Heath, though not a 
great general, and though somewhat tinctured with vanity, 
was an honest, upright, and patriotic man. 

His descent from William -^ of Roxbury, who came from London 
in the " Lion," arr. IG Sept. 1632, with his wife Mary and 5 
children, and d. 29 May, 1652, was through Peleg^^h. Eng., who ni. 
Susannah King, d. from a wound, and was buried 18 Nov. 1671 ; 
Capt. William,^ b. 30 Jan. 1664, m. 11 Nov. 1685, Hannah, dau. of 
John Weld, d. 3 Nov. 1738 ; Samuel* (his father), b. 27 Dec. 1701, 
m. 3 Dec. 1733, Elizabeth Payson, d. 23 Sept. 1763. 

He m. 19 Apr. 1759, Sarah Lockwood of Cambridge, who d. 
10 Oct. 1814, «. 78. They had — 

Samukl, 9 Mar. 1760, d. 24 Sept. 1841. m. 23 Feb. 1784. Ann. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 329 

eldest dau. of Gen. John Greaton. She d. 28 Nov. 1830, a?. 69, 

s. p.- 
William, 23 Sept. 17<)2, d. 8 Mar. 1836, ra. 18 June. 1789, 

Elizabeth, dau. of Joshua Spencer. She d. 2 Oct. 1820. 
Sarah, 29 July, 1764, m. 25 Nov. 1783, Capt. John J. Spooner ; 

2d, Col. Isaac S. Gardiner of Brookline (3 June, 1801). She 

d. 15 Sept. 1832. 
Joseph, 2 Apr. 1766, d. 5 July, 1842. He m. 18 Dec. 1798, 

Naomi, dau. of Col. Joseph Vose, d. 21 Sept. 1810; m. 2d 

Hannah Murdock. 
Henry, 31 May, 1769, d. 16 Mar. 1773. 

The children of Joseph and Hannah (Murdock) Heath were : 
Samuel Davis (name changed to Wm. Samuel) ; PeJeg, 17 July, 
1813: Elizabeth. 17 Feb. 1819. 

WILLIAM SAMUEL HEATH. 

Son of Joseph, and grandson of Gen. Wm. Heath, whom 
he succ. m 1844 ; b. Roxbury, 20 July, 1812 ; m. 24 Sept. 
1844, Mary, dau. of Luther Sanderson ; d. 12 June, 1860. 
They had — 

Mary Sanderson, 28 Oct. 1845. 
William Henry, 20 Feb. 1849. 
Caroline Sherwood, 18 Sept. 1853. 
Joseph, U Mar. 1856. 

JSrnjamin ?3^fsU)ootr. 

He was b. Shrewsbury, Mass., 25 Oct. 1746 ; H. U. 1775 : 
d. Worcester, Mass., 6 Dec. 1816. He learned the trade 
of a carpenter, but resolved to gain an education, and, 
entering Harvard College, became remarkably proficient 
in mathematics. In May, 1775, he was com. lieut. in 
Nixon's reg. ; com. lieut. and paym. Nixoii's (6th) reg. 1 
Jan. 1777 ; capt. 10 Apr. 1779, and served through the 
war, being present in the campaign against Burgoyne, and 
was active and efficient in allaying the discontent of the 
army in 1782. In 1784 he returned to the management of 

42 



330 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

his farm ; was judge of the Court of Common Pleas for 
Worcester Co. 1802-11 ; many years a county magistrate ; 
twice chosen an elector of President ; and was frequently 
an arbitrator, executor, and guardian ; and was an officer 
of many charitable and religious associations. Assist. 
Treas. of the Society in 1788. 

He was son of Phinelias of Shrewsbury, and gr.-son of Deacon 
John of Concord. By his wife. Mehitable, dau. of Elisha God- 
dard of Sutton, he had — 

Mehitable. 

Nathaniel Moore, merchant, b. July, 1788, m. 16 Sept. 1816, 
Caroline Sunnier of Boston, and d. Richmond, Va. 

Elizabeth. 

Benjamin F. 

Joseph. 

Lucy, Apr. 1796, d. Nov. 1796. 

Nancy, 7 Feb. 1798, d. 30 Aug. 1814. 

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HEYWOOD, M.D. 

Son of Benjamin, whom he succ. in 1858 ; b. Worcester, 
Mass., 21 Apr. 1792 ; Dartm. Coll. 1812 ; M.D. of Yale 
Med. Coll. 1815. He was a practising phj'sician in Wor- 
cester ; was for twenty years the partner of Dr. John 
Green ; was for several years a member of the Worcester 
city government, and d. there 7 Dec. 1869. 

He m. 1st Nancy, dau. of Dr. John Green, 2S Sept. 1820; 
2d, Elizabeth R., her sister, 23 June, 1837. They had — 

Frederick, 30 June, 1825, D. C. 1845, M.D. 1848, d. St. Mig- 
uel, Central America, 20 Aug. 1855 ; John Green, grad. 
Camb. Sci. School. 18()4, admitted to succ. his father in the 
Society, in 1871. 

Of Dracut ; son of Maj. Ephraim, an early settler there ; 
ensign in M. Jackson's (8th) reg. ; com. lieut. 14 Sept. 
1780, and served through the Avar ; afterward a justice of 
the peace, and until 1814 higli sheriff of Middlesex County. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 331 

Com. lieut. in H. Jackson's (9th) reg. 25 Oct. 1779 ; in 
Sprout's (2d) reg. in 1783 ; d. Boston, 16 July, 1801, se. 
45, leaving a widow Ann, who d. in 1816. 

Com. lieut. in Marshall's (10th) reg. 30 Jan. 1777; 
afterwards com. capt.-lieut,, and having received a wound 
which disqualified him for active service he was trans- 
ferred to the Invalid Corps.* 

He was before the war a member of Paddock's Art. Co. ; 
was fife-major of Knox's art. in 1776 ; com. 1st lieut. 
Crane's art. 22 Feb. 1780 ; was also inspector and superin- 
tendent of music, and d. Savannah, Ga., in Apr. 1788. 

Com. 1st lieut. in H. Jackson's (16th) reg. 1777 ; capt.- 
lieut. in 1778, and served in .Sullivan's R.I. campaign ; 
adjutant in Col. Gimat's light inf. reg. ; com. capt. (9th 
reg.) 24 July, 1781 ; brigade inspector of Muhlenburg's 
brigade, at Yorktown ; in Mellen's (3d) reg. in 1783-84 ; 
U. S. Marshal for the district of Maine, 1794-99 ; d. Port- 
land, Me., 1802, leaving a widow Hannah. 

JAMES THACHER HODGE. 

Grandson of Dr. James Thacher, whom he succ. in 1864. 
He was b. Newburyport, Mass., 12 Mar. 1816 ; d. by the 
foundering of a steamer in which he was a passenger, in a 
gale on Lake Superior, 15 Oct. 1871 ; H. U. 1836. Emi- 

* His month's pay was never given to the Society. 



332 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

nent as a mineralogist and geologist, and had been for many 
years occupied in surveys of the coal, copper, and other 
mineral regions of the U. S., Canada, and Nova Scotia. 
Assisted Dr. Jackson in the survey of the pubHc lands of 
Mass. and Me., in 1836-38 ; and Prof. H. D. Rogers in 
the survey of Pa. He contributed to '^Appleton's New 
American Cyclopaedia " (1857-63) 1,200 articles, and was 
subsequently engaged in scientific explorations in Califor- 
nia, Arizona, Ohio, &c. 

He was the son of Michael Hodge, a hiwyer of Newburyport, 
and Betsey Hayward Elliot, widow of Daniel A. Elliot of Savan- 
nah, and dau. of Dr. James and Susannah Tliacher of Plymouth, 
who d. 27 Feb. 1871. He m. in Plymouth, 3 Feb. IHif), Mary 
Spooner, dau. of John and Deborah Russell, and had — 

Elizabeth Thacher, 7 Nov. 184G. 

John Russell, 26 Nov. 1.S47. 

James Michael, 3 Apr. 1850. 

Mary, 17 Dec. 1854 

He was b. Wreutham, Mass., 10 Feb. 1748, d. 30 Jan. 
1834. Com. lieut. in Shepard's (4th) reg. 1777 ; capt. 14 
Apr. 1780. He was a volunteer 20 Apr. 1775, and left the 
7 army in June, 1783, having been in the actions at Long 

Island, Harlem, Frog's Point, White Plains, Danbury, 
Saratoga, White Marsh, Brandywine, Monmouth, and 
Rhode Island, and in several Indian scouts. 

His descent from Thomas,^ of Dorchester, in 1G45, a proprietor 
of Sherborn in 1662, who d. 11 Apr. 1705, and Hannah Shepard 
his wife, was through Eleazer,^ 20 Dec. 1660, d. 28 Feb. 1725-26, 
who m. Sarah Pond of Dedham; Daniel? 8 May, 16'J9, who re- 
moved to Wrentham ab. 1722, and m. Elizabeth Clark of Medfield ; 
David^ (his father), 10 June, 1726, d. 17!)o, who m. Lydia Bragg, 
22 Jan. 1746-47. She d. 8 Sept. 1767. 

In 17S4 he m. Margai'et, dau. of Dr. .Tohn Druce of Wrentham- 
Children : — 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 333 

John Drtjce, a teacher, b. 30 Oct. 1785, d. 21 Oct. 1835, unm. 
Chandler, b. 2 Jan. 1787, resided in Newark, IS J., had a dau., 

wife Deborah, d. 1856. 
David Lyman, b. 2 Jan. 1795, m. Mary Tuite at Cincin., O., d. 

s. p., St. Louis, Mo., 4 Sept. 1844. 

Of Barre, Mass. ; d. ab. 1803. 2d lieiit. of Whitcomb's 
(6th) reg. 1776 ; lieut. in Brooks's (7th) reg. 1777 ; capt. 
1780. Taken by the Indians in 1778, while serving in the 
Northern army, and held some time in captivity to the 
permanent injury of his health. Son of James Holden and 
Brown of Barre. 

Of Sudbury ; d. N.Y. city, 3 Aug. 1818, se. 67. Com. 
adjutant of John Nixon's reg. 19 Apr. 1775 ; present at 
Bunker's Hill and siege of Boston ; com. capt. in T. Nixon's 
(6th) reg. 1 Jan. 1777, and served through the war. Se- 
lectman in ]\Iarlborough in 1783. 

By his wife Thankful, who survived him, he had — 

Thankful, b. 1783. 

William, b. 1785. 

Ann, b. 1787. 

Jonas, b. 1781). 

Mary, living in 1848. 

He was b. Concord, Mass., 1753 ; was adjutant and lieut. 
of Joseph Read's reg. 21 Apr. 1775 ; ensign in Nixon's 
reg. sixteen months, and until com. 2d lieut. 17 Apr. 1778 ; 
com. 1st lieut. 13 Apr. 1780 ; in C. Smith's (6th) reg. 
1781-82 ; present at tlie battle of Bunker's Hill ; one of 
the storming party at Stony Point; brigade major in C. 



334 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Greene's brigade in Sullivan's division in R.I. campaign 
of 1778-79, and served to the end of the war. He then 
settled in Holden, but removed to Leicester before 1804, 
and d. there 13 Mar. 1828. He m. Zipporah Hall in 1789. 
She d. Jan. 1827. He left a son Amasa, who has numerous 
descendants. 

Of Sudbury; d. Newark, N.J., 19 Apr. 1823, £e. 69. 
Com. 2d lieut. Nixon's (6th) reg. 22 Dec. 1777 ; 1st lieut. 
6 June, 1779 ; served from 1776 to 1783 ; was during three 
years an officer in Washington's life-guard, enjoying in a 
peculiar degree the confidence of his chief, and experienced 
much hard service. 

He was b. Marlboro', Mass., 27 Dec. 1739 ; removed with 
his father to Petersham in 1753, and served in the old 
Fnench war (1756-63). He was one of the minute-men 
of 1775 ; and in July, 1776, was in Holman's reg. in N.Y. ; 
also in the battles of Harlem and White Plains. Com. 2d 
lieut. in R. Putnam's (5th) reg. early in 1777 ; 1st lieut. 
11 Mar. 1778 ; served till the end of the war, after which 
he settled in New York, and was a pensioner, living there 
in 1820. 

His gr.-father, John, of Newton (prob. gr.-son of Jo/m, of Dor- 
chester, 1634, and son of Nathaniel), m. Elizabeth, dau. of Thomas 
Park; Jonas, his father, b. 12 May, 1711, d. ab. 1768; m. 2d 
Bathsheba Ivory, who d. ab. 1762. Ivory Holland had — 
Wilkes. 

Jonas, secretary and treas. of Union College, from 1833 to the 
close of his life, in 1839, whose son, Alexander, i-esides in N.Y. 
city. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 335 



The younger brother of Ivory ; b. Shrewsbury, Mass., 
19 Nov. 1752 ; private in Hohnan's reg. in 1776, and after- 
ward sergeant-major in his bro.'s company ; com. ensign 
in R. Putnam's (5th) reg. 7 Nov. 1777; lieut. 18 Sept. 
1780 ; present at Harlem, White Plains, and Saratoga ; and 
some time paym. and clothier of his reg. In 1784, and 
again in 1793, he was engaged in surveys of Maine lands ; 
settled on a farm in Petersham in 1785, representing the 
town in the General Court in 1788 and 1789 ; removed to 
Belchertown in 1790, which he represented in 1794 ; and 
finally removed to Maine in 1800, and settled in Orono. 
Capt. of militia, and active in suppressing Shays's insurrec- 
tion in 1787-88, of which he wrote an account, contained 
in an extended manuscript memoir of his own life. He d. 
Bangor, Me., 21 May, 1844. He was an honest, industrious, 
and benevolent man. 

He m. .3 .Tan. 178.5, Lucy Spooiier. They had — 

Lucy Spooner. 30 Sept. 1786, m. Luther Eaton, who d. 1832, 
leaving four daughters and one son, Luther, b. ab. 1822, a 
civil engineer, and superintendent of the Bangor and Piscata- 
qua Raih'oad. 

LucRETiA, 11 July, 1789. 

Eliza Winslow, 15 Nov. 1792. 

Bathsheba Ivory, b. 18 Apr. 1803. 

Charles Tttrner. 

CHARLES TURNER HOLLAND. 

Only son of Park Holland, whom he succ. in 1862 ; b. 
Eddington Bend, near Bangor, 25 June, 1806 ; resides 
in Foxboro', Mass. 

He m. 1st, 28 Nov. 1844, Josephine C, dau. of Leonard Shavr 
of Fall River, who d. 15 Feb. 1852; 2d, May 8, 1854, Elizabeth 



336 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

P., sister of his first wife, and widow of Isaac R. Shepherd. Cliil- 
dren : — 

Josephine Park. 

Eliza Winslow, b. 1858. 

3tsnt fk}olliuUt. 

Lieut, in Vose's (1st) reg. ; com. capt. 21 Mar. 1782 ; in 
H. Jackson's (4th) reg. in 1783. He d. 20 Jan. 1831, in 
Burlington, Vt., leaving a widow, Clarissa. 

Dr. John Homans was the second son and third child of 
Capt. John Homans, who was b. 25 Oct. 1703, and who 
came to this country from North Forland, Kent Co., Eng., 
about 1720. He was master and part-owner of a ship 
voyaging between London and Boston, and brought over 
in 1734 the bell of the Old South Church, the gift of 
Thomas Hollis of London, nephew of the benefactor of 
Harvard Coll. of the same name. After repeated voy- 
ages, and the acquirement of a small fortune by mercantile 
ventures, he settled in Boston, whence in a few years he 
removed to Dorchester, where he spent the rest of his 
life in the improvement of his estate. He took an active 
interest in the events immediately preceding the Revolu- 
tion, and on Jan. 4, 1773, he was made by vote of the 
town one of the committee of correspondence to com- 
municate with similar committees of other towns in regard 
to concert of action, &c. Capt. Homans m. in 1725 Mrs. 
Hannah Osborn of Bristol, R.I., who d. 1747, leaving no 
children. In 1748 he m. 2d Elizabeth Alden, by whom he 
had eleven children. He d. suddenly in 1778, while walk- 
ing about his farm. 

Dr. John was b. Dorchester, 8 Apr. 1753. He was pre- 
pared for college in the Boston Latin School ; grad. at 




!}{]®KaARIlSc. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 337 

H. U. in 1772, and studied medicine with Dr. Joseph 
Gardner, of Boston. With Dr. Holbrook of Dorchester 
and others, he dressed the wounds of those injured at the 
battle of Bunker's Hill on the evening following the 
action. 

On 1 Jan. 1776, he was com. surgeon of Col. Paul Dud- 
ley Sargent's (16th) reg., and from 18 Dec. 1776 to the 
period of his resignation, 4 Aug. 1781, was surgeon of 
Sheldon's (2d) reg. of light dragoons. He was with the 
army in the actions at Harlem and White Plains, and in 
those which preceded the surrender of Burgoyne, as well 
as in many other engagements ; was some time commissary 
of his reg., and during the latter part of his term of ser- 
vice was stationed on the Hudson. After leaving the 
army, he practised medicine in Boston ; but, liis health 
failing, he set sail from Boston in June, 1800, to make a 
voyage, in the hope of regaining it, but died suddenly on 
the third day after leaving port. 

He m. in 1785 Sally, dau. of James Dalton, Esq., a 
prominent citizen of Boston, who survived him till 1843. 
They had two children : one, a dau. who d. young ; the 
other, a son John. 

JOHN HOMANS, M.D. 
Only son of Dr. John, whom he succ. in 1840 ; b. Bos- 
ton, 18 Sept. 1793 ; d. there suddenly, 17 Apr. 1868. He 
was brought up in Boston and Dorchester, was fitted for 
college at Andover, and grad. at Har. Coll. in 1812. En- 
tering immediately ujjon the study of medicine, he took his 
degree of doctor in 1815 ; married in 1816 ; and, after a short 
stay in Worcester, established himself in practice in Brook- 
field, then the largest town in Worcester County. He soon 
obtained a large practice throughout the country, and was 
highly esteemed by all classes. He represented Brookfield 

43 



338 BIOGKAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

in tlie legislature for one or more terms, and filled various 
other offices with general satisfaction. By the advice of 
his joreceptor and friend, Dr. John Gorham of Boston, he 
was induced to remove to that city, where he established 
himself in the spring of 1829. Here he soon obtained a 
large practice, and made a great many friends. He was 
Pres. of the Mass. Med. Soc. for two years, and was one 
of the standing committee of the Society of the Cincin- 
nati, in whose objects he always manifested the greatest 
interest. 

In June, 1816, he m. Caroline, dau. of Dudley and Eleanor 

(Clark) Walker, of Boston, to whom he had become engaged three 

yeai's before. She d. 10 July, 1867, after a married life of 51 

years. They had 12 children, of whom 5 survived them, viz. : — 

Charles Dudley. 

George Henry, a captain in the 45th Mass. reg., in the war 

of the rebellion, b. 12 Mar. 1828, unm. 
John, 25 Nov. 1836, H. U. 1858, physician and surgeon of 
Boston, assist, surgeon in the regular army through the civil 
war, who m. 4 Dec. 1872, Helen Amory, only dau. of William 
Perkins, Esq., Treasurer of the Cincinnati. 
And two daughters, both unm. 

CHARLES DUDLEY ROMANS, M.D. 
Eldest son of Dr. John, whom he succ. in 1869 ; b. 
Brookfield, Mass., 25 Dec. 1826 ; H. U. 1846 ; a physician 
and surgeon of Boston, and since 1871 Secretary of the 
Society of the Cincinnati. 

He m. 6 May, 1856, Eliza Lee, dau. of Samuel Kirkland (H. U. 
1825), and Mary Lyman (Buckminster) Lothrop of Boston. Chil- 
dren living : — 

John, 15 Mar. 1857. 

Caroline, 5 June, 1866. 

Ziiiton fL}oottv. 

Son of William and Sarah Hooker; b. Medfield, INIass., 
12 Feb. 1752 ; d. Newton, Mass., 24 Dec. 1840. Member 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 339 

of the Medfield company of " minute-men " in 1775. 
During tlie Bunker's Hill battle, his drum was pierced by 
a bullet, and he seized the musket of a fallen companion 
and rushed into the thickest of the fight. For this act he 
was soon afterward promoted to an ensigncy; was com. 
lieut. in Putnam's (5th) reg. 11 Apr. 1780, and served 
until 1783. Mr. Hooker was a man of strict integrity and 
great moral worth, and was never known to be at variance 
with any human being. 

He ra. in 1779 Sarah Barber, by whom he had — 

ZiBEON. 

Etsey, m. Charles Bemis. 

Adolphus. 

Brayton, d. in Newton, unm. 

Harlow, d. s. p. 

Sarah, m. Wm. Heard. 

George, m, and resides Newark, N.J. 

Charlotte, m. Silas Warren of Boston. 

Adeline, m. Oliver Hill, resides in Newton. 

Laura, d. unm. 

ZIBEON HOOKER. 

Eldest son of Zibeon, whom he succ. in 1841 ; b. Sher- 
born, Mass., 6 Apr. 1780, d. there 7 Dec. 1869. ^ 

He m. Mary Stearns of Hopkinton, who d. 26 Feb. 1832, and 

had — 
HiRAJi, b. 1805, d. , has a son, Hiram H., who resides in 

Cambridge. 
Mart Ann, 180G, m. Jacob Pratt. 
George B., 17 Apr. 1808, m. Hannah Kimball, resides in Sher- 

born. 
Laura, 1809, m. Thomas Gould. 
Sybil, 1811, m. David Daniels. 
Harrison G. O., 1812, m. Mira Whitney. 
Zibeon, 1814, d. unm. 1830. 
Oliver B., 1816, resides N. York. 



34:0 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

David Stearns, 1818. 
Hannah T., 1819, m. Aaron Weeks. 
Harlow, 1824, m. Sophronia Travis. 
Thankful W., 1826, d. unm. 
Sarah E., 1829, m. Lucius Cook. 

Com. ensign in Vose's (1st) reg. 2 Apr. 1781 ; in Smith's 
(6tli) reg. 1781-83 ; living on a government pension in 
Conn, in 1820. 

i^ici)ael (JSatiricl f^outiin. 

He was a lieut. in Bigelow's (15th) reg., serving in R.I. 
in 1778-79 ; was com. capt. 28 June, 1779, and. was an 
active and zealous partisan officer ; capt. and dep. quartern!, 
under Gen. St. Clair in 1791, and d. in Feb. 1802, in Al- 
bany, where he was superintendent of U. S. military stores. 
He was a Frenchman of singular manners and character, 
and of remarkable personal appearance. (See Thacher's 
" Military Journal," page 433.) 

J^ici^artr Surcotnt ?l^oU)c* 

He was b. Boston, and d. there 22 Jan. 1793. Com. 
ensign in Shepard's (-Ith) reg. 21 June, 1782 ; app. lieut. 
2d U. S. Inf. 4 Mar. 1791 ; capt. 2d sub. legion to rank 
from Nov. 1792. 

THOMAS HOWE. 

Eldest and only surviving bro. of R. S. Howe, whom he 
succ. in 1803 ; b. Boston, 1763, d. there 9 Aug. 1824. 

RICHARD SURCOMB HOWE. 

Eldest son of Thomas Howe, whom he succ. in 1825 ; d. 
in 1825-26. 

THOMAS HOWE. 

Only surviving son of Thomas, whom he succ. in 1828 ; 
d. Boston, 1 May, 1829, sd. 31. 





?rt ;.^^^-^ 



From a Painting hy Gilbert Stuart, painted in 1823. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 341 

Gen. Hull was the fourth of seven children of Joseph 
Hull of Derb}^ Conn., and was born June 24, 1753. He 
entered Yale College at the age of fifteen, and graduated 
with honor in 1772, having the English oration assigned 
to him. He first taught a school, and afterwards studied 
law at Litchfield, and was admitted to the bar in 1775. 

In April of that year he was chosen captain of the 
first company raised in Derby, and marched with Col. 
Webb's regiment to Cambridge. Here Capt. Hull re- 
mained during the siege of Boston, and his regiment 
formed part of the force which, by occupying Dorchester 
Heights, compelled the British troops to evacuate the town 
of Boston. 

After this event, Washington removed his army to 
Long Island. Col. Webb's regiment was engaged in the 
battles of Brooklyn and White Plains, and for its con- 
duct in the latter it received the particular thanks of 
the Commander-in-chief. In Dec. 1776, at the brilliant 
affair of Trenton, where Washington captured a consider- 
able force of Hessians, Capt. Hull acted as field ofiicer 
of the regiment, the lieut.-colonel and major both being 
absent. 

On Jan. 1, 1777, he was com. major in the 8th Mass. 
regiment, of which Michael Jackson was colonel, and John 
Brooks lieut.-colonel. Before the battle of Princeton, where 
Washington out-manoeuvred Lord Cornwallis, Major Hull 
was detached with a small force to observe and impede the 
progress of the enemy. Major Hull skirmished with the 
British advance guard during the whole afternoon, and so 
delayed the enemy that Washington was materially assisted 
in his escape. 

After the army was placed in winter quarters, Major 



342 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Hull was ordered to Boston to recruit the regiment. In 
Apr. 1777, lie marched with 300 recruits to Ticonderoga, 
to join Gen. St. Clair at that post. Here St. Clair was 
attacked by an overpowering force under Burgoyne, and 
was obliged to retreat to the Hudson River and join Gen. 
Schuyler, a movement which excited a great clamor against 
him. Major Hull wrote a letter defending St. Clair, which 
was published in the newspapers of the day. Gen. Schuy- 
ler was also obliged to retreat before Burgoyne, to the west 
bank of the Hudson. In this retreat. Major Hull com- 
manded the rear guard ; and, though fiercely attacked by 
the British and Indians, he made a successful resistance. 
For his conduct on this occasion Major Hull received the 
thanks of Gen. Schuyler. 

In the battles of the 19th of September and the 7th of 
October, 1777, which resulted in the capture of Burgojaie's 
army by Gates, Major Hull took part. On the morning 
of Sept. 19, he commanded a picket guard of 250 men 
in front of the left wing of the camp, which afterward, 
by order of Gen. Arnold, was ;:einforced with 300 more, 
and held its ground from noon until dark, losing 150 men 
in killed and wounded. 

On the 7th of October, jNIajor Hull again commanded 
the advanced guard in front of the left wing ; and when 
about noon Burgoyne moved from his camp to attack the 
Americans, Major Hull was ordered to join his force of 
250 men to three regiments of Arnold's right wing and 
Morgan's riflemen to oppose him. This was so success- 
fully done, that both the first British line, and the sec- 
ond under Frazer which came to the support of the 
first, were driven back to their camp. The next day 
Burgoyne retreated to Saratoga, where he was obliged 
to surrender. After this event his regiment was ordered 
to join Gen. Washington near Philadelphia, and in De- 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 343 

cember the army went into winter quarters at Valley 
Forge. 

Major Hull was at this time selected for one of the 
assistants of Baron Steuben, who brought to the army as 
its inspector general the discipline and drill of Frederick 
of Prussia, under whom he had served. 

On the 19th of INIay, 1778, Major Hull was with a de- 
tachment sent by Washington to reinforce the Marquis La 
Fayette, who was hard pressed by the British at White- 
marsh, near Philadelphia. At the battle of Monmouth, 
June 28th, the 8th Massachusetts regiment was commanded 
by Major Hull, the colonel being invalided, and the lieut.- 
colonel acting as adjutant to General Lee. The advan- 
tage was with the Americans ; but it was not a victory, 
owing to the misconduct of Lee. In the winter of 1779, 
Lieut. -Col. Brooks being absent on leave. Major Hull 
was in command of the regiment, which was ordered to 
Poughkeepsie, at that time the seat of the State Govern- 
ment, for winter quarters. Hardly were they established, 
when orders came to move to Kingsbridge, on the lines 
near New York. This produced great discontent in the 
regiment, a remonstrance written by the non-commissioned 
officers was addressed to the Commander, and it was feared 
by the officers that the men would refuse to march. Major 
Hull immediately paraded the regiment, arrested the ring- 
leader, whom he had tried by court-martial, and punished 
in the presence of the regiment, which then commenced its 
march to White Plains. Here Major Hull remained the 
whole winter, with 400 men ; and being eighteen miles 
in advance of the American forces, and in the face of 
the whole British army, his safety depended on constant 
vigilance. The service was so severe, that 200 men, with 
officers, were sent from the arm}^ every ten days to relieve 
one half the detachment. Major Hull himself visited his 



344 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

outposts every day, riding about twenty miles during the 
day, and as much every night. He was never surprised. 

In June, 1779, Washington stationed most of his troops 
in the Highlands ; and Major Hull was emplo3-ed in build- 
ing four forts near West Point, when on the 14th of July 
he was ordered to join his corps to the forces of Gen. 
Wayne, for the capture of Stony Point. In the assault 
which followed, on the night of the loth, ISIajor Hull's 
detachment from the 8th Mass. resriment was in the rioht 
column, which was led by Wayne himself. The assault 
was made with the bayonet, not a shot being fired, except 
by a party under Major Murfee, who were ordered to open 
fire on the opposite side of the fort, to distract the atten- 
tion of the garrison. It was not a surprise, as has been 
stated by some historians, as the attack was made under 
a heavy fire of artillery and musketry, which commenced 
before the storming columns reached the fort. On Aug. 
12, 1779, Major Hull was promoted to the rank of lieut.- 
coL, and was transferred to the 3d Mass. regiment. 

About this time the appointment of aide to Gen. Wash- 
ington was offered to Col. Hull, which would have been 
accepted but for the remonstrance of Baron Steuben, who 
requested him to retain his situation as inspector, which 
he did during the year 1780. 

In Jan. 1781, Col. Hull asked permission to attack the 
British post at Morrisania, on the East River, which was 
held by Col. De Lancey, with a force of about 500 Loyalists. 
Washington granted leave, though he expressed himself 
not sanguine of success. Six hundred men were assigned 
to Col. Hull for the enterprise, which was to march thirty 
miles over bad roads, with swollen streams to be crossed, 
and attack a nearly equal force about four miles in the rear 
of a large part of the British army. These impediments so 
much delayed the march, that the plan of a surprise failed. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 345 

and the enemy were on the alert when Col. Hull reached 
Morrisania. A short conflict ensued, which resulted in 
the defeat of the Loyalists, with the loss of fiftj^-two pris- 
oners, sixty horses, and a number of cattle. The barracks 
were set on fire, with a great quantity of forage belonging 
to the British army ; and, though hotly pursued, Col. Hull 
with his prisoners retreated in safety to the American 
lines. For the successful conduct of this expedition Col. 
Hull received the thanks of Washington and of Congress. 

In July, 1781, Col. Hull was stationed with his regiment 
in the Highlands, under Gen. Heath, and was appointed 
adjutant and inspector-general of the army at West Point, 
and performed the duties of these offices until the summer 
of 1783, when, hostilities having ceased, he was ordered 
with eight companies of infantry to West Chester, to pro- 
tect the inhabitants of that region from the refugees and 
Tories, until civil government should be organized. 

On the 25th of November, 1783, Avhen the British troops 
evacuated New York, Col. Hull commanded the troops 
which escorted the Commander-in-chief into the city, and 
was complimented by him on the excellent appearance and 
high state of discipline of his troops. 

On the 4th of December, when Washington took leave 
of his officers in New York, Col. Hull was in command of 
the military escort ; and when, by direction of Congress, 
Gen. Washington disbanded the army, with the exception 
of one regiment and a corps of artillery, Col. Hull was 
selected by him for lieut.-col. of the regiment. 

In 1784 Col. Hull was sent by the government to Que- 
bec, to demand possession of forts Niagara, Detroit, and 
Macinac, which, by the treaty, should have been delivered 
up a year before. The British commander, however, de- 
clined to give them up. 

Col. Hull established his residence in Newton, Mass., in 

44 



346 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

1786, and here he commenced the practice of the law. 
When the mihtia was called out m that year, for the sup- 
pression of Shays's rebellion. Gen. Lincoln was placed in 
command, and Col. Hull accompanied him as a volunteer. 

In Jan. 1793, Col. Hull was appointed by the President 
a commissioner to make arrangements with the Canadian 
government for a treaty with the Indians in the western 
country, with whom the United States were at war. He 
was instructed to remonstrate against their infraction of 
treaty pledges, and also against the practice of supplying 
the Indians with arms and ammunition for use against a 
friendly nation. Gov. Simcoe was civil, but was indisposed 
to enter into these questions, which were happily set at 
rest by Wayne's victory over the Indians that year. 

In the winter of 1798, Col. Hull was in England, and 
the spring he passed in France, where he Avitnessed the 
proceedings of the revolutionary tribunals in Paris. 

Soon after his return to Boston, he was appointed by 
the Governor judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and 
was elected major-general of the third division of the 
militia of the State. He was likewise elected senator 
in the State legislature. These positions he held until in 
1805 he was appointed Governor of Michigan Territory, by 
President Jefferson. He was also appointed Indian agent, 
an office which was then connected with that of executive 
magistrate. 

In 1805, with the exception of a small strip of land about 
Detroit, the islands of Macinac and Bois Blanc, and a piece 
of ground opposite Macinac, six miles by three in extent, 
all the present State of Michigan, as well as most of Ohio 
and Indiana, was in the possession of the Indians. 

Gov. Hull made a treaty with them in 1807, by which 
they ceded to the United States an extensive territory on 
the south-eastern side of Michigan, in payment for which 
annuities were granted to the tribes. Many of the chiefs. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 347 

however, headed by Tecumseh, refused their assent to this 
treaty ; and it was believed by the traders and agents that 
an extensive league was being formed against the Ameri- 
cans, to include all the tribes east of the Mississippi. In 
Feb. 1812, Gov. Hull being in Washington, accounts came 
to him from Detroit, that the Indians were becoming hos- 
tile, and he urged the necessity of a military force for the 
protection of the inhabitants of that exposed frontier. War 
with Great Britain was imminent. The President called 
upon the Governor of Ohio to furnish twelve hundred 
militia, prepared for actual service. The command of 
these troops, with the rank of brig.-gen., was offered to 
Gov. Hull by the President, but was declined. Col. 
Kingsbury, of the 4th U. S. Inf., was then ordered to take 
the command, but fell sick on his way to Washington. 
Gov. Hull, on being again applied to, reluctantly accepted 
the appointment, with no other object, as he stated, than 
to march the troops to Detroit for the protection of the 
inhabitants against the Indians. 

At this time the Lakes were in possession of the British, 
the Indians were their allies, and the inhabitants of Canada 
outnumbered twenty to one the people of JNIichigan. In 
three separate memorials addressed to the War Department 
in 1809, 1811, and 1812, Gov. Hull had urged the neces- 
sity of a fleet on Lake Erie. 

Gov. Hull, who was now also a brig.-gen., at once pro- 
ceeded to Dayton to take command of the troops. These 
consisted of three regiments of militia under the command 
of Cols. McArthur, Findley, and Cass. They were badly 
armed and half clothed, and neither the State of Ohio nor 
the General Government had made any provision for their 
equipment. On the 10th of June, at Urbana, Gen. Hull 
was joined by Lieut.-Col. Miller with a part of the 4th 
Infantry, consisting of three hundred effective men, making 
his force then fifteen hundred, which was the largest 



348 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

number lie liad at any time under his command. From 
Urbana the distance to Detroit was more than two hun- 
dred miles, through a wilderness. A road had to be cut 
through the forest by the army ; bridges, causeways, and 
block-houses were built, and the latter provided with gar- 
risons, which labors were borne by the army with patience. 
The rapids of the Maumee were reached about the end of 
June ; war was declared by the United States on the 18th, 
but Gen. Hull received no information of it until July 2, 
fourteen days afterwards, though the British commander at 
Maiden had heard of it by letters franked by an American 
cabinet officer. In consequence of the delay in transmit- 
ting to Gen. Hull this important intelligence, a vessel in 
which he had shipped baggage, important stores, intrench- 
ing tools, and the invalids of the army, was taken by the 
British. 

On the 5th of July the small army arrived at Detroit. 
On the 9th orders were received from Washington, dated 
fifteen days before, authorizing Gen. Hull to commence 
offensive operations ;• and on the 12tli he crossed the river 
into Canada. Gen. Hull there intrenched himself, issued 
a proclamation to the Canadians, and detached Col. Mc- 
Arthur to pursue the Indians who were in the neigh- 
borhood, and to go to the river Thames for provisions. He 
returned on the 17th with two hundred barrels of flour 
and some military stores. 

Meantime, events were occurring which threatened to 
make the position of the American army a very dangerous 
one. These were, first, the fall of Macinac, which had been 
taken with its garrison of sixty men by a force of 625 
Canadians and Indians. By this event all the Indians 
of the North-West were encouraged to unite against the 
Americans; and a body of sixteen or seventeen hundred 
Indians and North-West company-men were soon on their 
march for Maiden. A second source of danger was the 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 349 

interruption of Gen. Hull's communications with Ohio. 
Lake Erie was commanded by a British fleet, and there 
were no American armed vessels upon it. The wilderness 
between Detroit and Ohio was filled with hostile Indians ; 
and there was no other source besides Ohio whence supplies 
or reinforcements could come. Gen. Hull had in many 
letters to the administration insisted on the occupation of 
the lakes as essential to military success, and had a right to 
believe that, if ordered on this duty, he would be supported 
with a naval force ; but none was provided till two years 
after the fall of Detroit. 

Hearing that some cattle were on the way from Ohio, 
intended for his army. Gen. Hull detached Major Van 
Home with two hundred and fifty men to bring them into 
camp ; but the party was attacked by the Indians, and 
entirely defeated. Thirdly, according to the original plan 
of the campaign, it was determined that Canada should be 
invaded both at Detroit and Niagara. The charge of one 
of these invasions had been given to Gen. Hull, and he 
had thus far performed his part. He had cut his road 
through the wilderness and had invaded Canada. He did 
this, relying on promised support. He had asked for a 
fleet on Lake Erie, co-operation at Niagara, and reinforce- 
ments from Ohio ; and he was disappointed in all. 

As early as June 26, Gen. Dearborn was ordered to 
Albany to prepare a force for actual service in the direc- 
tion of Niagara, Kingston, or Montreal ; but so great was 
the confusion in the War Department, that Dearborn did 
not know whether or not he was to command at Niagara. 

On the 26th of July the Secretary of War directs Gen. 
Dearborn to co-operate with Gen. Hull at Niagara, and 
Dearborn writes on the 28th, asking : " Who is to have 
command in Upper Canada ? " No troops being collected 
at Niagara, and having no need of troops in that quarter, 
Gen. Brock, the British commander, was able to send rein- 



350 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

forcements to Maiden. No movement being made by the 
Americans on Lake Champlain, Sir George Provost was 
able to send troops to Upper Canada ; and, instead of co- 
operating with Gen. Hull, as he was ordered. Gen. Dear- 
born acceded to an armistice, proposed by Sir George 
Provost, by which he agreed that the troops opposed to 
each other at Niagara should act on the defensive only, 
thus allowing Brock to send reinforcements to Maiden, 
while he deprived himself of the power of aiding Gen. Hull 
by demonstrations on the Niagara frontier. 

Gen. Hull found himself therefore entirely deprived of 
the promised assistance. Under these circumstances, the 
safety of his army demanded the reopening the commu- 
nications with Ohio. Gen. Hull therefore recrossed the 
river on the 7th of August, leaving a sufficient force 
intrenched to hold the British shore. 

The same day Col. Miller was detached with 600 men 
to open the road towards Ohio. About fourteen miles from 
Detroit, he met with a body of British and Indians, whom 
he defeated ; but such were the difficulties of the road, that 
Col. Miller was obhged to return without effecting his 
object, although he was within eighteen miles of the river 
Raisin, where there was a large convoy of provisions 
under Col. Brush. On the 14th Gen. Hull sent off Cols. 
McArthur and Cass with another detachment, to try by 
another road to reach Col. Brush, and escort him to De- 
troit with the supplies for the army. 

While these operations were taking place in the American 
camp. Gen. Brock was moving to the relief of Maiden with 
a force of 550 men. At that place, he was joined by 
Tecumseh with 1,000 warriors ; and on the 16th he sent 
to Gen. Hull a summons to surrender, which the general 
refused ; and that afternoon fire was opened upon Detroit 
from Sandwich, which was returned by an American bat- 
ter}"^ of 21-pounders. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 351 

Early the next morning, Brock crossed the river about 
five miles below Detroit, his landing being protected by a 
large force of Indians and two ships of war. His intention 
was to wait in a strong position covered by his ships; 
but, hearing of the absence of Cass and McArthur, with 
five hundred men, he decided on an immediate attack. He 
was preparing for an assaidt, when Gen. Hull surrendered 
the place. 

His defence for taking this step rests on the following 
propositions: — 

1. An army in the situation of that of Gen. Hull on the 16th of 
August, 1812, cut off from its supplies, and with no adequate means 
of opening its communications, must inevitably fall. 

2. That, in this situation, to fight would have been a useless 
expenditure of life, and would have unnecessarily exposed the in- 
habitants of the territory to Indian cruelties. 

3. That this situation was not his fault, but that of the Govern- 
ment, of Gen. Dearborn, and of circumstances for which no one 
is probably responsible. 

4. That the troops of Gen. Hull on the IGth of August were 
much inferior in number to those of his antagonist. 

5. That the provisions of the army were nearly exhausted, and 
no further supplies could be obtained.* 

To most of the country, who were ignorant of the true 
state of affairs, the news of the surrender came without 
warning, and the excitement was great. The Federalists, 
who opposed the war, made use of this disaster to show 
that they had been right, and threw the blame upon their 
opponents and the administration. At first the Govern- 
ment scarcely attempted to defend itself ; but it soon found 

* It would occupy too much space to give the details which prove these 
propositions : they may be found in the following works, from which most of 
this memoir has been compiled : — 

Eeport of Trial of General Hull at Albany, 1814 ; Memoirs of the Cam- 
paign of 1812, by William Hull ; Military and Civil Life of General Hull, by 
his daughter, Mrs. Campbell, and his grandson, James Freeman Clarke. 



352 BIOGEAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

a man ready to assist it to throw the whole blame of the dis- 
aster upon the imsiiccessfiil general. This was Col. Cass, 
who went to Washington and wrote his celebrated letter of 
Sept. 10th, 1812, which has been the principal source of 
all subsequent charges against Gen. Hull, and was even 
received as evidence on his trial. 

The object of the letter was to show that the whole 
blame was chargeable to the commander ; that he wanted 
neither men nor supplies, and that the British might have 
been defeated with perfect ease but for the cowardice of the 
general. This letter was published extensively, and had 
great effect on the public, who did not know that Col. Cass 
had written both to his brother-in-law and to Gov. Meigs, 
only a few days before the surrender, that the army was 
in want of every thing, and must perish unless assisted. 

As soon as Gen. Hull was exchanged, he was placed 
under arrest, and charges for capital offences were brought 
against him. A court-martial, of which Gen. Wade 
Hampton was president, was summoned to assemble at 
Philadelphia, where Gen. Hull appeared for trial. But 
this court was dissolved by President Madison, without 
reason assigned. After Gen. Hull had been another jeav 
under arrest, a new court was assembled at Albany, Jan. 3d, 
1814, of which Gen. Dearborn was appointed president. 
Both the construction and the proceedings of this court were 
unfair to the accused. The man whose errors or miscon- 
duct had been a principal cause of the disaster was its 
president, and most of its members were young officers of 
no ex]3erience, some of them aides of Gen. Dearborn, and 
under his patronage. The proceedings of the court were 
unfair, the opinions of witnesses being received in evi- 
dence ; and although the best legal assistance was afforded 
to the prosecution, the counsel for the accused was not 
allowed to address the court. 

Charges of treason, cowardice, and neglect of duty were 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 353 

exhibited against Gen. Hull, and he was found guilty of 
the two latter, and sentenced to be shot. 

President Madison approved the sentence, but remitted 
the execution of it. There was no need of its execution. 
The object was gained, which was to screen the adminis- 
tration from disgrace or ruin. Some victim was necessary, 
and the unsuccessful general became the scapegoat for the 
President and his party. Gen. Hull was acquitted of the 
charge of treason. The charge of cowardice was substan- 
tiated by the Opinions of the militia officers, who thought 
that the general looked, on the day of the surrender, as 
if he was terrified. 

After the court-martial in 1814, Gen. Hull returned to 
his farm in Massachusetts, where he passed the remainder 
of his life in agricultural pursuits. 

It was not until 1824 that Gen. Hull was able to procure 
from the War Department copies of documents necessary 
for his vindication, all his papers having been lost by the 
capture and burning of the vessel by which they were 
sent from Detroit to Buffalo. He then published " Me- 
moirs of the Campaign of 1812," which, where they 
were read, had the effect of changing public opinion, 
formed as it had been from the statements of government 
newspapers, and military men, who like Lewis Cass had 
risen on the downfall of Gen. Hull. 

In 1825 a public dinner was given to Gen. Hull by 
leading men of Boston, to express their sympathy and 
respect for him. The same year he visited his native town 
of Derby, Ct., where he was received with much atten- 
tion ; but the fatigues of the journey brought on an ill- 
ness, which proved fatal. He d. Nov. 25, 1825, aged 72 
years. 

Gen. Hull was a man of fine personal appearance, and 

of polished address, combined with frank and soldierly 

45 



354 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

manners. He was of an amiable and kindly temper, 
and his latter days of trial were much soothed by an affec- 
tionate family. 

His descent from Richard ^ Hull, made a freeman of Mass. in 
1G34, of New Haven in 1G31), d. 1G62, was through Dr. John,- 
bapt. 24 May, 1G40, first of Derby, afterward of Wallingford,. 
where he was a large Umdholder, d. 6 Dec. 1711 ; Joseph,^ b. 1662, 
d. 1744, m. in 1691 Mary, dau. of secretary Isaac Nicholls, who 
d. 1733 ; Joseph,* b. 1G94, a farmer, many years member of the 
Gen. Assembly; Josejyh^ (his father), b. 1728, d. 1775, who m. in 
1749 Eliza Clark of Lyme. (Com. Isaac Hull was grandson of 
this Joseph.) 

He m. in 1781 Sarah, only dau. of the Hon. Abraham Fuller of 
Newton, who survived him less than a year. They had a family of 
seven daughters, and one son, Capt. A. F. Hull, 9th U. S. Infantry, 
who was killed at the battle of Lundy's Lane, July, 1814, ae. 28. 
Eebecca Parker, dau. of Gen. Hull, m. 18 May, 1805, Samuel 
Clarke. They had Samuel C. Clarke, adm. a member of the So- 
ciety in 1829 ; Rev. James Freeman Clarke, D.D. ; and four other 
children. 

lEpljraim Pfunt. 

He was b. Watertown, Mass., 5 Nov. 1758 ; d. Albany, 
16 Oct. 1805 ; brother of Capt. Thomas Hunt. Com. 
lieut. in H. Jackson's (9th) reg. 9 Aug. 1781. He left a 
widow, Catharine, two sons, and a dau. in Albany. 

His descent from Enoch ^ Hunt, of "Weymouth, a first settler, was 
through Ephraim^- d. 22 Feb. 1686-87, oe. 77, and Anna Richards; 
Thomas,^ oi Boston, b. 1648, d. 11 Feb. 1721-22, who m. Judith 
Torrey ; Samuel,* of Watertown, b. 9 Feb. 1689, d. 1774, m. Mary 
Langdon, 24 Apr. 1712; John^ (his father), b. 19 Nov. 1716, d. 
19 Jan. 1777, and Ruth Fesseuden. 

STIjomas ?i^unt. 

He was b. 17 Sept. 1754, d. at Bellefontaine on the Mis- 
sissii^pi, 18 Jan. 1809. Ensign m Bond's (25th) reg. 1775 ; 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 355 

lieut. in 1776 ; com. capt. in H. Jackson's (16th) reg. 1 
Mar. 1779. He fouglit at Lexington, Bunker's Hill, and 
at Stony Point, where he received a bayonet wound, and in 
Wayne's Indian campaign in 1794 ; was app. capt. 2d U. S. 
Inf. 4 Mar. 1791; maj. 2d sub. legion, Feb. 1793; trans- 
ferred to 1st Inf. Nov. 1796 ; lieut.-col. 1st Inf. Apr. 1802 ; 
col. 11 Apr. 1803. 

He m. 16 Aug. 1784, Eunice, clau. of Samuel and Abigail Wel- 
lington, bapt. 11 Dec. 1768. They had — 
George, 1785, d. early. 

Henry Jackson, 19 Nov. 1788, d. Sept. 1826. 
Ruth, 7 June, 1790, m. 1808 Dr. Abraham Edwards of N.J. 
George, 28 Sept. 1791. 

Thomas, 30 Jan. 1793, d. in U. S. Army, at Detroit, 1838. 
Abigail Wellington, 23 Jan. 1797, m. Col. Josiah Snelling, 

U. S. A. 
John .Elliott, 11 Apr. 1798. 

Samuel Wellington, 5 Nov. 1799, d. 11 Sept. 1829. 
William Brown, 16 Nov. 1800, d. 1839. 
Charles C. Pinckney, of Galena, 111., 29 Mar. 1802. 
Mary LeBaron, 6 Nov. 1803, m. Capt. Joseph Gleason. 
Eliza Mitchell, 18 Dec. 1804, m. James G. Soulard of St. 

Louis, afterward of Galena. 

HENRY JACKSON HUNT. 

Son of Samuel Wellington (an officer in the U. S. 
army) and Julia (Herrick) Hunt, and grandson of Col. 
Thomas Hunt, whom he succ. in 1867 ; was b. Detroit, 
Aug. 1819 ; West Point, 1839. Entering the artillery, he 
was com. 1st lieut. (2d reg.) 18 June, 1846 ; capt. 28 Sept. 
1852 ; major (5th reg.), 14 May, 1861 ; brig.-gen. U. S. Vol- 
unteers, 15 Sept. 1862 ; lieut.-col. 3d art. 1 Aug. 1863 ; 
col. 5th art. 4 Apr. 1869. In the war with Mexico, he 
was engaged in the siege of Vera Cruz, battles of Cerro 
Gordo, Churubusco (for which he was brev. capt. 20 Aug. 
1847), and Molino del Rey, where he was twice wounded ; 



356 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

storming of Chapultepec (for which he was brev. major, 
13 Sept. 1847), and in the assault and capture of the city 
of Mexico, 14 Sept. 1847. During the Rebelhon he served 
in the defence of Fort Pickens, Fha., Apr. — June, 1861 ; 
battle of Bull Run, Peninsular campaign of 1862 ; app. 
chief of art. of the army of the Potomac, 5 Sept. 1862 ; 
in the battles of South Mountain (14 Sept. 1862), Antie- 
tam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville (May 24, 1863), 
Gettysburg (for which he was brev. col. 3 July, 1863) ; in 
the Richmond campaign, 4 Apr. 1864 to 9 Apr. 1865 ; and 
engaged in the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, 
Cold Harbor, and siege of Petersburg, and brev. maj-gen. 
U. S. Vols. 6 July, 1864; brev. brig.-gen. and brev. maj.- 
gen. U. S. A. 13 Mar. 1865, for gallantry at the siege of 
Petersburg, and in the campaign terminating with the 
sui'render of the insurgent army under Gen. R. E. Lee. 

He m. Emily C, dau. of Col. R. E. De Russy. She d. 12 May, 
1857, iv. 2.J. They had two children. 

He was b. Boston, 1760, d. there 21 Aug. 1784 ; com. 
ensign in H» Jackson's (9th) reg. 18 June, 1781. 

His descent from John ^ Hurch of Boston, 1G3'J, d. 23 Sept. 1690, 
and wife Mary, was through Jacoh^^ of Charlestown, 1670, d. 7 
Sept. 1694, oe. 41, who m. 21 Dec. 1675, Ann Willson ; Jacoh;' b. 21 
Sept. 1676, d. 23 Sept. 1749, who m. Eliza Tufts ; Jacoh^'' d. Bos- 
ton, 1768, who m. (in London) Eliza Mason ; and John ^ (his father), 
b. Boston, 9 Dec. 1727, H. U. 1747, sec. to Gov. Wentworth of 
N.H., member of the Prov. Council, d. 1809, who m. in 1755 
Eliza Foster. 

<Kforfj;r KuflcrsoH. 

He served in Gridley's art. at Bunker's Hill; was com. 
1st lieut. in Crane's art. 10 June, 1779, and continued with 
the army until it was disbanded in 1783 ; was app. lieut. of 
U. S. art. 4 Mar. 1791 ; capt. U. S. artillerists and engi- 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. :3o7 

neers, Apr. 1793 ; and was major from 8 July, 1802, to 1 
Dec. 1801. He d. Keene, N.H., in July, 1805, -ee. 51. 

GEORGE GOLDTHWAIT INGERSOLL, D.D. 

Only son of George, whom he succ. in 1818 ; was b. Bos- 
ton, 4 July, 1796 ; d. Keene, N.IL, 16 Sept. 1803 ; H. U. 
1815. Pastor of the Unitarian Church, Burlington, Vt., 
30 May, 1822, to 31 INIar. 1841 ; and of the Unitarian Society 
in East Cambridge, 5 Dec. 1847, to 14 Oct. 1849. He 
received the degree of D.D. from H. U. in 1845. 

He m. 14 Oct. 1822, Harriet, dau. of Dr. Phineas Parkhurst, of 
Lebanon, N.H., and had — 
Allkn Parkhurst, 10 Nov. 1823, Vt. U. 1843, d. 3 Sept 

18o9. 
Caroline Haslett, who is his only surviving chihl. 

Son of Col. Michael; b. Newton, Mass., 5 June, 1765; 
com. ensign in his father's (8th) reg. 13 Oct. 1782. After 
the war, he settled in New York, and was president of a 
bank in that city. 

His descent from Edward^ Jackson, of London, who came to 
Mass. in 1643, d. 17 July, 1681, a?. 76, and his wife Frances, was 
through Sebas,^ b. 1643, d. 6 Dec. 1690, who m. 19 Apr. 1671, Sa- 
rah, dau. of Thomas Baker ; Edward,^ b. 12 Sept. 1672, d. 27 Mar. 
1748, and wife Mary, who d. 1753 ; Michael,^ b. 28 Feb. 1709, d. 27 
Aug. 1765, who m. Phebe Patten, Oct. 1733; and Col. 3Iichael,^ 
his father. 

By his 2d wife, Phelps, he had — 

Mary C. 

Charles, m. Elizabeth Castle, and had two sons. 

Oliver P. Harriet. 

Caroline M. Ebenezer. 

Emily. Eliza. 

Amasa. John W. 



358 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 



Brother of Amasa, and son of Col. Michael ; b. New- 
ton, Mass.,' 4 Jan. 1767 ; com. ensign in his father's (8th) 
reg. 4 Feb. 1783 ; and d. unm. in Georgia, in 1801. 

Haitid Jacltson* 

He was b. Newton, Mass., 23 July, 1753 ; cl. Watertown, 
Mass., 10 Dec. 1833. He was in the Lexington battle ■ 
was in Foster's Art. Co. at Bimker's Hill and at Dorches- 
ter Heights ; was serg. in Bryant's Co., and commanded 
a small redoubt at Fort Washington, where he was made 
prisoner, Nov. 16, 1776 ; was exchanged in about six 
months, and joined Conway's brig, in N.J., which had 
several skirmishes with the enemy ; and, having pointed 
the cannon which blew up a British vessel on the North 
River, was promoted to a lieutenancy. After the fall of 
Capt. Bryant at Brandy wine, where all the officers and half 
the men were killed or wounded, he took command of the 
company, which he retained till the close of the war, and 
received the thanks of Gen. Knox for his bravery. Com. 
1st lieut. 12 Sept. 1778, he was in the battles of German- 
town and Monmouth, and had charge of the lalioratory at 
the siege of Yorktown. Major of U. S. art. 4 June, 1798, 
to 30 Apr. 1803, and commander of Fort Independence, 
Boston Harbor ; and afterward warden of the State Prison 
in Charlestown. Vice-Pres. of the Soc. 1832-33. 

His descent from Edward ^ and Mary Jackson (see Amasa) was 
through Edward,^ b. 1 Oct. 1698, d. 1 July, 1738, and Abigail Gale ; 
Joshua^ (his father), b. 26 Apr. 1726, d. 1810, who m. in Mar. 
1710, Iluldah Fuller. He m. 1 Feb. 1782, Lucy Remington, and 
had — 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 359 

Henry, 4 Nov. 1783, d. 1 vSept. 1823. 

Daniel. 

Francis, 27 Mar. 1787, d. 13 Dec. 1817. 

Molly H., 15 Sept. 1789, d. 28 Apr. 1811. 

Leonard, 2G July, 1791, li. U. 1812, d. 1 Apr. 1807. 

Lucy, 13 Sept. 1794, d. 3U Mar. 1820. 

Patty B., 1 Oct. 1798, d. 14 Aug. 1806. 

Samuel E., 1 July, 1800, d. July, 1831. 

DANIEL JACKSON. 

Eldest son of Major Daniel, whom he succ. m 1834 ; 
b. Newton, Mass., 30 Aug. 1785, d. 31 May, 1835. 

He m. in Newbern, N.C., in Dec. 1829, Martha Stanwood. 
They had — 
Francis ; and 
Daniel, b. 25 Mar. 1834; both of whom reside in Lanesville. 

FRANCIS JACKSON. 

Eldest son of Daniel, whom he succ. in 1870 ; b. New- 
bern, N.C., 15 Feb. 1831. Resides in Lanesville, Essex 
Co., Mass., where he carries on with his brother the cloth- 
ing and furnishing business. 

Son of Col. Michael ; b. Newton, Mass., 18 Dec. 1763 ; 
d. Middletown, Ct., 31 Oct. 1837. Com. 2d lieut. Crane's 
art. 27 June, 1781. He served in this corps four years. 

By his wife, Charlotte Pierce of S.C., he had — 

Edward F, 

Mary C, m. F. J. Oliver of Boston. 

Ebenezer. 

Harriet M. 

Charles H., who m. C. T. Sheddan, and had one son. 

Harriet F. 

Amasa. George W. 

Mary S. Michael. 



360 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 



EBENEZER JACKSON. 

Eldest son of Lieut. Ebenezer, whom he succ. in 1857 ; 
b. Savannah, Ga. ; educated at St. Mary's Coll. Baltimore ; 
studied law in Litchfield, adm. to the bar in 1827 ; mem- 
ber of the Ct. Legislature from Middletown, 1829-82; 
M. C. from Ct. 1834-35 ; resides in Middletown, Ct. 
He m. Eliza Ann Hooper, and had two sons and three 
daughters. 

Gen. Henry Jackson, the first Treasurer of the Society 
of the Cincinnati of Massachusetts, was 1). Boston (bap, 25 
Oct.), 1747. Joseph, his father, commander of the Ancient 
and Hon. Artillery Company in 1752, col. of the Boston reg. 
1761-68, was a distiller in Boston, and died there 10 Apr. 
1790, x. 88. He m. 1 May, 1732, Susannah Gray, wdth 
whom he lived happily for nearly sixty years. Young 
Jackson having raised a military company in Boston, of 
which he was chosen captain, was ordered with it to R.I. 
in Apr. 1777, and was on duty there some weeks. He had 
been com. by Congress (12 Jan. 1777) col. of an additional 
continental battalion ; and on his return recruited in 
Boston and vicinity the 16th Mass. reg. (called the Boston 
reg.), which at once took a high rank for its soldier-like 
appearance and excellent discipline, demonstrating its valor 
on several hard-fought fields. This reg. was consolidated 
with the 9th, 1st Jan. 1781, and on the further reduction 
of the army (30 Oct. 1782) was numbered the 4th. It 
left Boston to join the main army near Phila., 7 Oct. 1777, 
and took part in the battles of Monmouth, June 28, 1778 ; 
Quaker Hill, R.I., 29 Aug. 1778 ; and Springfield, N.J., 
28 June, 1780. Col. Jackson commanded the last body of 




HiiiKrm^ cfl:^^iEk.iu'iM 




CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 361 

continental troops in service at the close of the war, in 
July, 1784, and Avas made brig.-gen. by brevet. He sub- 
sequently engaged in mercantile pursuits ; was major-gen. 
of State militia in 1792-96 ; and was U. S. agent in super- 
intending the building of the frigate " Constitution " at 
Boston in 1797. He was the hfelong friend and corre- 
spondent of Gen. Knox, and acted for him while Secretary 
of War as agent in his business affairs, particularly those 
concerning his eastern lands. Gen. Jackson was the 
Treasurer of the Mass. Soc. of the Cincinnati from its 
formation, in 1783, until his death, which took place in 
Boston, 4 Jan. 1809. The importance of his services to 
the Society, in building up and husbanding its funds, were 
recognized by its vote of Oct. 23, 1806, authorizing the 
presentation to him of a silver cup, — a testimonial that 
never reached him, as it did not arrive from England, 
where it had been made, until after his decease. He was 
generous and hospitable in his temper, gentlemanly in man- 
ner, and of a convivial and social disposition. He was large 
and of full habit, weighing while at West Point in 1783 
238 lbs. Gen. Jackson was buried in a tomb back of Mad. 
Swan's house in Dorchester, and a monument with a 
poetical inscription was erected there. He was never 
married. 

EDWARD JACKSON, 

Only nephew of Gen. Henry, whom he succ. in 1809 ; 
probably the person of that name b. Boston, 8 Sept. 1774 ; 
H. U. 1794 ; d. 22 Feb. 1819 ; attorney at law. Succ. in 
1826 by Joseph Henry Jackson Thayer. 



46 



362 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

He was b. Newton, Mass., 18 Dec. 1734, d. there 10 
Apr. 1801. During the French war he was a lieut., and 
at the breaking out of the Revolutionarj^ war was a private 
in a company of minute-inen. Earl)^ in the morning of 
Apr. 19, 1775, notice was given of the march of the 
British troops to Lexington ; but when the company as- 
sembled, none of the commissioned officers were present. 
Jackson \\;is eliosen captain for the day ; and without stop- 
ping to return thanks for the honor, or the slightest for- 
mality, he ordered the company to shoulder arms — pla- 
tooiis to the right wheel — quick time — forivard march. On 
arriving at Watertown, the rendezvous of the regiment, 
where the officers were holding a council, he soon got the 
floor, and made a moving speech. He told them that there 
was a time for all tilings, but that the time for talking had 
passed, and the time for fighting had come. He accused 
the officers of wasting time through fear of meeting the 
enemy ; and told them that if they meant to oppose the 
march of the British troops to forthwith take up their 
march for Lexington. He intended tliat his company 
should " take the shortest route to get a shot at the 
British," and, suiting the action to the word, left the coun- 
cil, which, after his blunt speech, broke up without any 
concert of action. His company came into contact with 
Earl Percy's reserve near Concord Village, and was dis- 
persed after exchanging a few shots ; but soon rallied, 
hanging upon the flank and rear of the retreating enemy 
with much effect, until they reached Charlestown at night- 
fall. This company received the thanks of Dr. Joseph 
Warren upon the field for its l)ravery. He soon after re- 
ceived a major's commission in Gardner's reg., and was 
present at Bunker's Hill. Li this battle Major Jackson 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 363 

had a personal encounter with a British officer, whom he 
killed, his own life being preserved from his adversary's 
ball by his sword-belt. He was recognized by his antagon- 
ist, with whom he had served in the French war. He was 
com. lieut.-col. in Bond's reg., and was present at the siege 
of Boston and invasion of Canada ; was transferred to Col. 
Paul Dudley Sargent's reg., and severely wounded in an 
attack on Montressor's Island, N.Y., 23 Sept. 1776 ; and 
was com. col. of the 8th continental reg. 1 Jan. 1777. His 
wound, from which he never entirely recovered, prevented 
his further active service ; and his regiment Avas subse- 
quently led by its gallant lieut.-col., John Brooks, and 
dislinguislied itself on many occasions, especially in storm- 
ing the German redoubts at the battle of Saratoga, 7 Oct. 
1777. William Hull was its major, and no regiment was 
more distinguished for bravery and good conduct during 
the war. Dr. Eustis relates that once, while dining with 
Gen. Washington at West Point, the General, after the 
cloth was removed, beckoned Col. Jackson to a seat by his 
side, and "• unbent himself with him more than I ever had 
seen him do." This his descendants justly regard as a 
greater honor than the patents of nobility from the Norman 
Conqueror to his rough soldiers. He had five brothers and 
five sons in the army of the Revolution. 

He m. 31 Jan. 17")!), Rutli, dan. of Ebenezer Parker, and had — 
Michael. Amasa. 

Simon. Charles. 

Ebenezer. 

Eldest son of Col. Michael ; b. Newton, 12 Sept. 1759, 
d. there 15 Oct. 1802. Com. ensign and paym. in his 
father's (8th) reg. 1 Jan. 1777; lieut. 15 Dec. 1779. 

* His month's pay was never contributefl to tlie Society's treasury. 



364 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

He m. Sarah, dau. of Rev. Stephen Badger of Natick. She d. 
1831, te. ab. 70. They had — 

Stephen Badger, 16 May, 1793, m. Harriet C. Russell, and d. 

1817. 
James L., 20 Dec. 1704. 
Abigail H, 23 Feb. 1797. 

.Simon JcTCfeson- 

Son of Col. Michael ; h. Newton, Mass., 20 Nov. 1760, 
d. there 17 Oct. 1818. Com. lieiit. in his father's (8th) 
reg. ; capt. 1 Apr. 1782. 

He m. in Feb. 1786, Borodell, dan. of Alexander Shepard, Jr., 
and had — 

Alexander Shepard, 5 June, 1789. 

Charles A., 10 Aug. 1790, m. two wives in N.Y., and had a 

large family. 
Michael, d. young. 
Borodell, 7 Mar. 1787. 
Ann Maria S., 13 June, 1792. 

By his 2d wife, Sally Spring of Watertown, he had — 
Susan, 13 Sept. 1805. 
Sarah S., 8 Nov. 1809. 

^i)omas Jacfeson- 

Of Boston ; Avas a member of Paddock's Art. Co. be- 
fore the war ; was com. 2d lieut. in Knox's art. reg. 1 Jan. 
1776 ; capt.-lient. in Crane's art. reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; capt. 
22 Feb. 1780. He d. 1790. 

THOMAS JACKSON. 

Only son of Capt. Thomas, Avhom he sncc. in 1802 ; b. 
Boston, 1778, d. there 6 Dec. 1850 ; merchant of Bos- 
ton. Assist. Sec. of the Society in 1821-34 ; Sec. from 
1834 to his decease. 

He left no son. A dau. Abigail Eayres d. in New York, in 
1852, leaving a dau. Mary Baker. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 365 

.Samuel Jeffertrs, 

A sergt. in Burbeck's Co. of Knox's reg. in 1776 ; com. 
2d lieut. in Crane's art. 1777 ; 1st lieut. 1 Oct. 1778 ; in 
service at West Point as late as Aug. 1784 ; d. before 1812. 

He was b. Boston ab. 1753, d. there 28 Jnne, 1818. 
Thomas Johnson, his father, was known as an escutcheon 
maker, and built the first organ of American manufacture 
used in Boston. Some of the pipes from this ancient in- 
strument are now in the possession of his grandson and 
successor in the Society, John J. Soren. He d. in 1765, 
and was interred in King's Chapel burying-ground. John 
was in early life apprenticed to John Gore, a house and 
sign painter, father of Gov. Gore ; and was, before the war, 
a member of Paddock's Artillery Company. In April, 
1775, he joined Gridley's art. reg. as a lieut. ; was com. a 
eapt.-lieut. in Knox's reg. 1 Jan. 1776 ; and at the battle 
of Brooklyn, L.I.,- 27 Aug. 1776, was severely wounded 
and made a prisoner. He spoke often in after years of 
the skill of Surgeon Eustis (afterward Gov. of Mass.) in 
successfully treating his case ; but the severity of the 
wound compelled his retirement from the service in Oct. 
1777, and he resumed his art in Boston, where he kept 
a shop in Court Street, near the head of Gore's Alley. 
He painted many strong likenesses of the Revolutionary 
and other celebrities of his day ; but in color and in draw- 
ing, owing to limited opportunity for study, his productions 
were somewhat deficient. Among his portraits are those 
of Gov. Increase Sumner, now in the Mass. Senate Cham- 

* His month's pay was never contributed to the Society. 



366 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

ber ; Gov. Wm. Phillips and family ; Major Samuel Shaw ; 
Gov. Samuel Adams (painted in 1785), destroyed by fire 
many years since ; and one of Mrs. Adams, which is still 
preserved. One of his pictures was the sign of the Good 
Samaritan, kept by Thomas Bartlett, apothecar}' in Old 
Cambridge, originally painted with " a priest passing by 
on the other side." This was soon erased, the portrait 
and costume of the Rev. Dr. Walter of Christ Church with 
his full wig being so exactly represented that the likeness 
was easily recognized, and it Avas possibly too near a re- 
semblance in another point of view. Dunlap calls Johnston 
" a man of wit and talent." He m. Miss Spear, dan. of a 
Boston merchant, and had one or two sons who d. in 
infancy, and four daughters, two of whom (JNIrs. Soren and 
Mrs. Newell) had issue. His last surviving clau., Grace 
F, Johnston, was living in 1853. J. J. Soren is his suc- 
cessor. 

ALEXANDER BROOKS KEYES. 

Son of Edward L. and Lucy (Brooks) Keyes ; great- 
grandson of Gen. John, and grandson of Alexander S. 
Brooks, whom he succ. in 1869 ; b. Dedham, Mass., 26 
July, 1846. Capt. Keyes was com. 2d lieut. 1st batt. 
Mass. Heavy Art. 28 May, 1861 ; 2d lieut. 12th U. S. Inf. 
23 Feb. 1866 ; 1st lieut. 30th U. S. Inf. 9 Feb. 1867 ; bvt.- 
capt. 2 Mar. 1867 ; transferi-ed to 10th Cavalry, 1 Apr. 
1870, and stationed at Fort Sill, I.T. , 

He m. 1 Mar. 1870, Yii-ginia Maxwell, at Cimmaroii, N. Mex. 
They have — 

Berenice M., b. Fort Sill, lud. Terr., 21 Nov. 1870 ; and a son, 
, b. 4 Mar. 1872. 

He was b. Gloucester, Mass., 1739 ; was com. 2d lieut. 
in Hutchinson's (27th) reg. 5 May, 1775 ; 1st lieut. in 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 367 

Putnam's (5tli) reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; capt. 14 Oct. 1780 ; and 
continued in service to the close of the war, being the 
officer directed to take possession of the posts at Flushing, 
Jamaica, and Flamsted, Long Island, and continuing there 
until 1806, when he returned to Massachusetts, where he 
was living in 1816. Joseph, his father, d. in Gloucester, 
12 Mar. 1806, aged 100 years, 11 mos. 12 days. 

Zctjttion Bins* 

He was b. Raynham, Mass., 16 Oct. 1750 ; com. lieut. 
in Bradford's (14th) reg. in 1777 ; capt. 4 Oct. 1780; in 
Brooks's (7th) reg. in 1783. He emigrated to Ohio in 
1788, and settled in Belpre, leaving his family in Rhode 
Island. He intended to return for them as soon as he had 
prepared a house and raised a crop for their support, but 
was killed by the Indians, May 1, 1789. His widow after- 
ward settled in Newport, R.I. 

His descent from Philip ^ King, who removed in 1 680 from 
Braintree to Raynham, and m. ab. 1680 Judith, dau. of Kev. Wil- 
liam Whitman of Milton, was through John^- b. ab. 1681, d. 5 Oct. 
1741, who m. in 1700 Alice Dean, d. 1746; DavirP (his fiither), 
b. 1712, d. 6 July, 1753, m. Rebecca Dean. Zebulon's son, Charles 
B. King, was a portrait painter of celebrity. 

He was b. Mansfield, Mass., 1743 ; d. Franklin, Mass., 
7 Nov. 1809. Com. capt. in Joseph Read's reg. Maj^, 
1775 ; in Shepard's (4th) reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; served in Sul- 
livan's R.I. campaign in 1778 ; com. major of Marshall's 
(10th) reg. 5 Nov. 1778; in 5th reg. in 1783. 

He m. in 1772 Margaret Tiffany, b. Mansfield, 1757, d. 6 Aug. 
1840. They had, all b. in Frankhn,— 

HlRAAI. 

Peggy, 18 Apr. 1789. 



368 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Alfred, 6 Oct. 1791. 
Melville, 24 Dec. 1793. 
Polly, 18 Aug. 1796. 
George W., 29 Dec. 1799. 

HIRAM KNAPP. 

Eldest son of Moses, whom he succ. in 1857 ; b. Frank- 
lin, Mass., 18 Apr. 1787 ; d. 18 Aug. 1865. 

His children were — 
Gilbert Clark. 
Emilia, 20 Feb. 1816. 
Sylvia L., 5 Dec. 1817. 
Hiram, Jr., 20 Apr. 1820. 

GILBERT CLARK KNAPP. 

Eldest son of Hiram, whom he succ. in 1866 ; b. Frank- 
lin, Mass., 12 Jan. 1814 ; m. 22 Jan. 1856, Lucinda God- 
dard (b. 2 May, 1831), and has — 

James Herbert, 7 June, 1856. 
Matilda Gertrude, 22 Jan. 1865. 

See memoir ante, pages 91-205 ; succ. by Admiral Henry 
Knox Thatcher. 

QtiyavltH Unotolcs, 

Charles, James (an officer in the Revolutionary navy), 
and Martha (who m. John Strong), were children of Capt. 
James and Martha (Stillman) Knowles of Wethersfield, Ct. 
Soon after the battle of Lexington, Charles joined Capt. 
Meigs's Co. in Middletown, Ct., and marched to Camljridge ; 
was com. lieut. in Knox's art. reg. in 1776 ; lieut. and paym. 
in Crane's art. reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; 1st lieut. 1 Aug. 1778 ; 
capt. -lieut. 13 Sept. 1780 ; and finally, closing his pay- 
master's accounts in 1785, went to Ohio, where he was 
on the first jury at Marietta in 1788, and d. unm. in 1796. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 369 



He was b. Thompson, Ct., 1T54 ; d. Pittsfield, Mass., 
16 Nov. 1817. Ensign in D. Brewer's reg. in May, 1775, 
and present at the siege of Boston ; lient. in Ebenezer 
Francis's reg. in 1776 ; adjutant of Shepard's (4th) reg. 1 
Jan. 1777 ; capt. 20 Mar. 1778 ; brigade major of Glover's 
Ijrigade, 9 Mar. 1779 ; aide to Gen. Glover in 1782. He 
settled in Ijusiness in Pittsfield in 1784, and was its repre- 
sentative in the Mass. Legislature in 1791 ; was many 
years sheriff of Berkshire Co.; M. C. 1801-5; col. 9th 
U. S. Inf. 1812-15. 

Of his children, Gen. Charles, a lawyer, was Att.-gen. of Michi- 
gan, and d. 13 Sept. 1834, ae. 42; Rev. Sylvester, b. Pittsfield, 
31 Aug. 179G, Middlebmy Coll. 1813, was a Presbyterian clergy- 
man, and d. N. Orleans, 31 Aug. 1820. 

ffiSailUam ILauflljton, 

Com. surgeon's mate in BigeloAv's (15th) reg. 20 Apr. 
1780 ; in Vose's (1st) reg. 1783. After the war he settled 
in New York, where his son Charles was admitted to the 
Cincin. Society in 1816. 

A]\IOS ADAMS LAAVRENCE. 

He was the son of Amos, an eminent and philanthropic 
merchant of Boston, where he was b. 31 July, 1814. His 
grandfather, Major Samuel of Groton, was a lieut. in Far- 
well's Company of minute-men in Prescott's reg., with 
which he took part in the battle of Bunker's Hill, where 
he received a bullet through his cap, and a spent grape- 
shot upon his arm. He was also in Sullivan's Rhode 
Island campaign, where he was adjutant of his regiment, 
and quitted the army in the autumn of 1778. He was 
prominent in establishing and supporting the academy in 

47 



370 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Groton, which now, in gratitude to him and his sons, hears 
the family name. He d. 8 Nov. 1827, se. 73. 

Amos Adams Lawrence graduated at H. U. in 1835 ; has 
been constantly in business since 1837 as a cotton manu- 
facturer and agent ; settled in 1846 the " Williams Grant," 
and established what is now the city of Appleton, Wis., 
with its college ; and in 1856 joined Eli Thayer and others 
in settling Kansas. He has lived in Brookline since 1851 ; 
has been often nominated for public office, which he has 
invariably declined ; but has filled many stations in trust 
and benevolent institutions. He became a member of the 
Cincin. Society in 1863, under the rule adopted by the 
Gen. Soc. in May, 1851. 

His descent from John ^ Laicrence, who came to Watertown 1636, 
to (iroton 1662. d. 11 July, 1667, and wife Elizabeth, was throngh 
Nat/ianich-h. 15 Oct. 1639, d. U Apr. 1724. m. 13 Mar. 1660-61, 
Sarah, dau. of John and Hannah Morse of Dedham ; Jo/iii."' b. 29 
July, 1667, d. 12 Mar. 1746-47, who m. 9 Nov. 1687, Anna Tar- 
beli ; Amos* b. 19 Feb. 171.^-1 6, d. 20 June, 1785, m. 7 Nov. 1749. 
Abigail, dau. of Nehemiah Abbott of Lexington ; Major Samuel,^ 
b. 24 Apr. 1754, m. 22 July, 1777, Susannah Parker; Amos^ (his 
father), b. 22 Apr. 1786, d. 31 Dec. 1852, m. 6 June, 1811, Sarah, 
dau. of Giles and Sarah (Adams) Richards of Dedham. 

He m. 31 Mar. 1842, Sarah E., dau. of William Appleton, and 
has — 

Marianne Appleton, b. 12 INIay, 1843. 

Sarah, 5 July, 1845. 

Amory Appleton, 22 Apr. 1848, H. IT. 1870. 

AViLLiAM, 30 May, 1850. 

Susan Mason, 4 Feb. 1852. 

Hetty Sullivan, 21 Nov. 1855. 

Harriett Dexter, 8 .Tune, 1858. 

Katfjanicl 2Lcat)cnU)orUj. 

Com. surgeon's mate in M. Jackson's (8th) reg. 1 Feb. 
1780 ; d. before 1812. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 371 

Of Sheffield ; lieut. in Sprout's (12th) reg. ; com. 1 Feb. 
1781, capt. in Greaton's (3cl) reg. ; retired, 1 Jan. 1783 ; 
living in Paris, Me., in 1797 ; pensioner living in Pa. in 
1820. 

He was b. Manchester, Mass., 1744, and removed in early 
life to Marblehead, where he was a merchant at the break- 
ing out of the Revolutionary war. Senior capt. in Glover's 
reg. early in 1775 ; com. major in June, 1775 ; sei'ved in 
the campaigns in.N.Y. and N.J. in 1776-77 ; and on Glo- 
ver's becoming brig.-gen, he made him his brigade-major. 
This famous regiment known as the " marine " and the 
" amphibious " regiment rendered inestimable service in 
equipping and manning the first cruisers of the war ; in 
ferrying Washington and his retreating army over the East 
River from Long Island under cover of a fog on the night 
of Aug. 29, 1776 ; and at the no less critical passage of the 
Delaware on Dec. 25, 1776, on the eve of the victory of 
Trenton. For this latter service Lee was com. col. 1 Jan. 
1777, of an additional continental battalion to be raised in 
Mass., which he commanded at Cambridge as a guard over 
Burgoyne's captured army, and in Aug. 1778, in Sullivan's 
R.I. campaign, soon after which he resigned. Such was 
Washington's good opinion of him that the offer of adju- 
tant-gen. of the army was made him in April, 1777, which 
he declined in favor of Col. Timo. Pickering. Collector of 
the Port of Salem from 1802, till his death, 26 Oct. 1824. 

AVILLIAM RAYiAIOND LEE. 
Eldest grandson of Col. Wm. R. Lee, whom he succ. in 
1867 ; col. of the 20th Mass.. reg. in the war of the Rel)el- 
lion, 1 July, 1861—17 Dec. 1862 ; Assessor U. S. Internal 
Revenue, 3d district of Mass. ; resides in Boston. 



372 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

He was b, Grafton, Mass., 1757 ; entered the army as a 
private or non-com. officer ; was com. lient. in Wesson's 
(9th) reg. 28 Dec. 1777 ; in M. Jackson's (8th) reg. in 1783 ; 
afterward a member of the Mass. Senate ; settled in Saco, 
Me., as a merchant, and d. there in 1839. 

His descent from Henry '^ Lelaiid, b. Eng. ab. 102."), came to 
America lGrj2, d. Sherburue, Mass., 4 Apr. 1680, who m. Margaret 
Badcock, was through Ebenezer\" b. 2.5 Jan. 1657, d. 1742, who 

m. Deborah ; Jcones,^ b. 1687, d. 1768, settled in Grafton in 

1735, m. Hannah Larned ; Phineas* (his father), b. 1730, d. 1773, 
who m. Lydia Fletcher. Joseph, by his wife Dorcas, sister of Hon. 
Rufus and Hon. Cyrus King, had — 

Cyrus K., 1787-90. 

Sarah, 1789, m. 1st Abel Boynton, 2d Edward Parker. 

Betsey, 1791, m. Nathan Lord. 

Mary, 1794, m. Benj. F. French. 

Harriet, 1795 — 1836, m. AYm. Richardson. 

LuciNDA, 1798, d. young. 

Dorcas, 1799. 

Joseph W., 1803, d. 1804. 

Jane M., 1809, m. Robert Read. 

JOSEPH WARREN LEl.ANI). 

Eldest son of Joseph, whom he sncc. in 1852 ; b. Saco, 
1805, d. there 7 Sept. 1858; Bowdoin Coll. 1826. He 
practised law in Saco, and was county attorney there for 
some years, between 1837 and 1849. He m. Hannali Scam- 
man, but left no issue. 

JatolJ Hconartr. 

He was b. Bridgewater, Mass., 1757, d. there in April, 
1841 ; com. ensign in Sprout's (2d) reg. 27 Feb. 1782. 

Son of Capt. Solomon and Joanna (Washburn) Leonard ; m. 
Mary, dan. of Isaac Swift, in 1788, and had Rev. Levi Wash- 
burn Leonard. 




^^/''^^ c/~<^^!^^^^l(!^ 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 373 

JofjH JLillit. 

He was b. Boston, 18 July, 1753, where he received 
a good common-school education ; was a cooper b}^ trade, 
and was a member of Paddock's Art. Co. before the war. 
Com. 2d lieut. in Morton's Co. of Gridley's reg. 1 May, 
1775, and present at tlie siege of Boston ; 1st lieut. in 
Knox's reg. of art. in 1776 ; capt.-lieut. in Crane's in 
1777 ; com. capt. 1 Nov. 1778 ; aide-de-camp to Gen. 
Knox, 1 May, 1782 ; app. capt. of 2d U. S. art. 16 Feb. 
1801, and commanded at West Point at the time of his 
death, 22 Sept. 1801. From a letter addressed by him to 
Gen. Samuel Smith, M. C. from Maryland, we take the 
following record of his service : — 

''If my services iu the action on Long Island (27 Aug. 177G), 
and assisting in the retreat from a very formidable British army, — 
if with six men, in a small boat, after the evacuation of Governor's 
Island by our troops, I went over, unspiked some of the cannon, 
iired on the ' Roebuck ' of 44 guns, obliging her to slip her cables 
and retire to Staten Island, by which means we went over in the 
night, with 100 men, and brought off all the guns and stores to 
New York, — if the service performed with two twelve-pounders in 
cannonading the ' Rose,' from an open field, when commanded by 
Captain Wallace, was of any utility to our cause, — if by assisting 
with two six-pounders in defending Chatterton's Hill, in front of 
White Plains, four hours, in presence of the whole British army, 
where you acted well your part, and so many of your brave regi- 
ment fell by our side, — if on our retreat through the mire of New 
Jersey, bootless, and scarcely a shoe, when the soldiers were so 
disheartened that a whole brigade of militia to which I was then 
annexed deserted me in one night, leaving my artillery without pro- 
tection, except a small band of veterans, which with some address I 
kept together by my comjsany, — if on that memorable, that most 
important night for America, when her liberty or bondage was vi- 
brating by a single thread, I did my duty at the attack of Trenton, 
that night which, it may almost be said, sealed the inde[)endence of 
our country, — if in the advance of the army to Princeton, almost 



374 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

barefooted, over frozen ground, where the brave General Mei'cer 
fell a few feet from ray side, in the first of the attack, — if at Chad's 
Ford, on the Brandywine, I sustained the heat of the action, and 
brought off my artillery safe, — if, on that dark, dismal night at 
Paoli, with (Teiieral "VYayue, ... I brought off my artillery through 
morasses and woods, after having been surrounded by the enemy ; 
and being in front of the column with General Wayne, in the 
attack of Germantown, where we drove the gi-enadiers and guards 
nearly three miles, I supported a soldier's character through the 
day, — if on that melting Sunday, in addition to my other duties 
at Monmouth (28 June, 177.S), I took tlie first prisoner by single 
combat, a sergeant of grenadiers, with his arms, and brought him 
to General Lee, from whom we received early information of the 
enemy's position and strength, — if at the close of eight years' ser- 
vice, as far as I know my own heart, I sheathed a sword without a 
tarnish by dishonor, which had been the companion of my toils 
during tliat period, ... if there is any merit in these transactions, 
1 would only claim my little share by having done the duty assigned 
me on the theatre of the late war." 

The following certificate was given him by Washington, 
under date of 1st Dec. 1783 : — 

" Whereas Captain John Lillie hath behaved with great pro- 
priety during his military service, I have therefore thought proper 
to grant this certificate, thereby making known that the said Captain 
Lillie entered the army as a second lieutenant of artillery the 1st 
of May, 1775, that he was appointed to a first lieutenancy in the 
year 1776, to a captain-lieutenancy in 1777, and in Aug. 1780, 
was promoted to be a captain. He was also appointed aide-de- 
camp to Major-Gen. Knox, on the first day of May, 1782. In 
all which several stations and capacities I do hereby further cer- 
tify and make it known that the aforesaid Captain Lillie has 
conducted himself on all occasions with dignity, bravery, and in- 
telligence." 

C'apt. Lillie was presented with a sword by Washington, 
and also with one by La Fayette, which is now (187-3) in 
possession of his grandson, Hon. Henry L. Pierce, mayor 
of Boston. Major Samuel Shaw, also an aide to Gen. 





■ 


^^^Ei 


1 






^^■^ 








1 






^^^E ^"^fl 




^^^^^^^^H 




{ 


^H 




^^^^jJ 




^^^^^^H 




1;. 


^ 


^^f^B 


HH 




^^^^^1 




^ 


^Jl 


H|'/|T\]j^H 


^^H 




^^H 






v^B 




r^ 


f 




m 


^' 




sM 


1 


! 















CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 375 

Knox, was cousin to Lillie. A monument was in 1868 
erected to his memory in the West Point Cemetery b}-^ his 
grandchildren, John and Daniel C. Lillie. 

He m. 20 Jan. 1785, Elizabeth Vose of Milton, by vvliom he 
had — 

Eliza. Smith, b. oO July, 178G, m. Col. Jesse, father of Hon. 

Henry Lillie Pierce, b. "io Aug. 1825. 
Patience II., 11 Apr. 1789. 
John. 

Maky Anna, 22 Aug. 17',)4, m. Woodward, living in Pal- 
myra, N.Y., in 18(18. 
Samuel Shaw, 3 Jan. 1796. 
Daniel Thomas, 15 Sept. 1797. 

JOHN LILLIE. 

Eldest son of Major John, whom he succ. in 1812; b. 
Milton, Mass., 8 May, 1791 ; d. Williraantic, Ct., 20 Jan. 
1855. He was the eighth cadet admitted to West Point 
Academy, whence he grad. in 1805 ; was for a short time 
during- the war of 1812 a caj)tain of Mass. militia; was 
afterward engaged in mercantile business near Boston, 
subsequently in Maine, and after 1848 in Willimantic. 

DANIEL C. LILLIE. 

Eldest son of John, whom he succ. in 1855 ; b. 27 Feb. 
1828 ; resides in North r]aston, Mass. 

Benjamin Lincoln, a major-gen. of the Revolutionary 
army, and the first President of the Mass. Soc. of the Cin., 
was b. at Hingham, Mass., 24 Jan. 1732-33. Thomas Lin- 
coln, his emigrant ancestor, who was probably from Hing- 
ham, Eng., (?) was by trade a cooper ; was in Hingham as 
early as 1636, and. the house-lot occupied by him is still 
in the possession of his descendants. His great-grandson, 



376 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Col. Benjamin, a maltster and a farmer, was for several 
years a member of the General (Jourt, and one of the 
Council of Massachusetts in 1753-70. His elder son, the 
subject of this sketch, received the rudiments of an ordi- 
nary English education at the common schools of the town, 
and pursued the calling of a farmer. In 1757, and for 
many years thereafter, he was town clerk. In 1752 he 
was made a justice of the peace for the county, and in 
1763 for the province. He was active in the opposition 
made to the measures of the British ministry, was a mem- 
ber of the legislature in 1772-74, and of the Provincial 
Congress of 1774-75, of which body he was secretary ; and 
he was also a member of the committee of supplies, upon 
whom devolved the arduous duty of providing munitions 
for the impending contest. He acted as President of Con- 
gress during the last Aveek of its session in July, 1775, in 
the absence of James Warren, and was then appointed 
a meml)er of the council. 

In 1755 he was commissioned liy Gov. Shirley as an 
officer of militia ; was app. major of the 3d Suffolk reg. 
in 1771, and its lieut.-col. in 1772. In February, 1776, he 
was commissioned by the council as a brig. -gen. ; and in 
May, 1776, a major-gen., and had the chief direction of 
military affairs in Massachusetts throughout the summer. 
Under his directions the militia erected batteries upon some 
of the islands in Boston Harbor, by which on the 14th of 
June several British armed ships which had remained in 
Nantasket road after Howe's army had left Boston were 
driven from the Bay. 

On the 2d of August, Lincoln was ai:)pointed to the 
comiuand of the militia which had been called into active 
service at or near Boston, and thenceforth gave all his 
time to military duties, which included the prosecution of 
defensive works in Boston Harbor. -After the defeat at 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 377 

Long Island, one-fifth of the Mass. militia were drafted 
and ordered to New York under his command. They 
reached Fairfield, Ct., at the close of Sept., and a por- 
tion nnder Lincoln joined Washington at York Island. 
His services were of such importance, that upon Washing- 
ton's recommendation Congress, on the 19th of Feb. 1777, 
appointed him a major-gen. in the continental service. 

While at Boundbrook, tlie most advanced post of the 
army in N.J., with about 500 men, he was, through the 
neglect of his patrols, surprised at daybreak of the 13th 
of April by Cornwallis and Grant ; but, before the two 
columns of the enemy closed in his rear, he effected a 
retreat, with the loss of about 60 killed, wounded, and 
taken, and three small pieces of artillery. Detached to 
join the Northern army operating against Burgoyne, he 
reached Fort Miller July 29, and soon collected a large 
force of militia at Manchester, Vt. By sending Warner's 
reg. to the aid of Stark, he contributed greatly to the 
success of that officer at Bennington, by which the British 
invading army was so seriously crippled, t' ^ also detached 
a successful expedition under Col. Brown against the Brit- 
ish post at Lake George, and on the 22d of September 
joined Gates's army at Stillwater, leaving detachments to 
block up the road against Burgoyne's retreat. 

Placed in command of the right wing, he had no share 
in the action of Oct. 7th ; but on the following morning, 
while leading a body of militia to take post in the enemy's 
rear, he encountered and was severely wounded by a small 
party of British soldiers, whom he mistook for Americans, 
V)eing struck by a shot which fractured his right leg. 
After a tedious and painful confinement of nearly a year, 
he recovered the use of his leg ; but he walked lame for 
the rest of his life. Rejoining the army in Aug. 1778, 
he was, on the 25th of September, appointed to the chief 

48 



378 BIOGRArillCAL NOTICES OF THE 

command in the Southern department, and reached Charles- 
ton, S.C., earl}- in December. Here he was soon actively 
employed, for on the 25th he learned the arrival of the 
enemy's fleet at Tybee ; and on the 29th that tliey liad 
effected a landing, routed the Americans under Gen. 
Robert Ho\ve, and gained Savannah. He immediately put 
his troops in motion, while the enemy extended themselves 
into Georgia. On Mar. 2, 1779, Gen. Ashe was defeated 
at Brier Creek ; and thus Lincoln lost nearly one-fourth 
of his army. On the 23d of April, being reinforced, he 
resumed his plan of covering the upper part of Georgia 
by marching to Augusta. Meanwhile Prevost, the British 
commander, having moved towards Charleston, to induce 
Lincoln to relinquish his design, the latter recrossed the 
Savannah, and returned to that city. He attacked Gen. 
Prevost at Stono on the 20th of June, but was obliged to 
retreat after a severe action, the co-operating force under 
Moultrie having failed to appear until some time after the 
battle was over. The numerous difficulties and embarrass- 
ments he had to contend with at the South, and the 
unfavorable eifect of the climate upon his health, induced 
him to desire a release from his burdensome command ; 
and Congress voted in complimentary terms to allow him 
to resign his separate command, and to rejoin the main 
army, but the earnest remonstrances of Gov. Rutledge, 
Gen. Moultrie, and others, led him to reconsider his deter- 
mination. 

Early in September, in conjunction \\itli Count d'Estaing, 
an attack was made upon Savannah, Ga., which was sum- 
moned to surrender on the 16th. On the 17th, Col. INIait- 
land, an active and skilful British officer, succeeded in 
entering the town with a reinforcement, and it was con- 
cluded to try the effect of cannon and mortars. Before 
proper siege works could be completed, the count informed 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 379 

Lincoln tliiit the si(!_oft must cither be immediately aban- 
doned, or a final effort made to take the town by storm. 
The latter course being adopted, an assault took place on 
the 0th of October, and was made with the ntrnost gal- 
lantr}^ but was unsuccessful : the attacking columns were 
repulsed with gi-eat loss, and the siege was at once raised. 
Savannah would doul)tless have fallen, had tlic assault been 
made iniincdiately nHU'V the junction of the; two allied 
armies, and before Maitland had reinforced it. 

Gen. Lincoln at once returned to Charleston, and applied 
liimself actively in preparations for its defence. On the 
30th of .January, 1780, Sir Henry Clinton with 8,000 men 
arrived at the mouth of the Savannah, and, on being soon 
afterward joined by Oen. Paterson with 1,400 more from 
Savannah, proceeded to attack Charleston. The F)ritish 
fleet having run past Fort Moultrie, the command of the 
harbor was lost, and the place rendered untenable. 

The first parallel of the besiegers being completed on 
April 10th, the garrison were summoned to an uncondi- 
tional surrender, whi(;h was promptly refused. Firing- 
was immediately commenced to annoy and retard the 
enemy in their approaches, and continued till the I'-jth, 
when their batteries were opened, and a constant fire was 
k(!pt up by b()th ])arties till the 20tli, Avhen the second 
parallel being finished, within three hundred yards of our 
lines, terms were offered by the garrison, but rejected. 
Hostilities Avere renewed on tlie 21st, and continued with 
redoul)l(,'d fury to the 2-jd, when the enemy Ijcgan their 
third parallel from 80 to 150 yards from our lines. 
From this to the 8th of May they were employed in 
making three batteries thereon, when another demand of 
surrender was made by the besiegers. Terms were again 
sent out, but not acceded to ; and a heavy and incessant 
fire was maintained from the 0th to the 11th, when it was 
found necessary to capitulate. 



380 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

" Having received," says the general, " an address from the prin- 
cijjal inhabitants, and from a number of the country militia, desiring 
that I would accept the terms, and a request from the Lieut.-Gover- 
nor and Council that the negotiations might be renewed ; the militia 
of the town liaAing thrown down their arms ; our provisions, saving 
a little rice, being exhausted ; the trooi)s on the lines being worn 
down by fatigue, having for a number of days been obliged to lay 
upon the banquette ; our harbor closely blocked up ; completely 
invested by land by nine thousand men, at least, the flower of the 
British army in America, besides the large force they could at all 
times draw from their marine, and aided by a great number of blacks 
in their laborious employments ; the garrison at this time (exclusive 
of sailors) but little exceeding 2,500 men, part of whom had thrown 
down their arms ; the citizens in general discontented ; the enemy 
being within twenty yards of our lines, and preparing to make a 
general assault by sea and land ; many of our cannon dismounted, 
and others silenced for want of shot; a retreat being judged im^irac- 
ticable, and every hope of timely succor cut off, we were induced 
to offer and accede to the terms executed on the 12th of May." 

The motives and feelings that prompted Gen. Lincoln 
rather to risk a siege than evacuate Charleston were most 
honorable to him as a man and a soldier. He could not 
calculate on the utter despondence and inactivity of the 
people who should have come to his succor. The toils, 
anxieties, and hazards of the siege gave the fullest scope 
to his wisdom, patience, and valor. His exertions were 
incessant. He was on the lines night and day, and for 
the last fortnight never undressed to sleej^. 

Notwithstanding his ill success, Lincoln suffered ni) 
diminution of the respect and confidence of the army and 
its Commander-in-chief, or of Congress and the country 
at large. Having been exchanged in November for Gen. 
Phillips, he took the command of a division of the army at 
New Windsor, iii June, 1781 ; accompanied it southward 
in August, and had his full share in tlie siege of Yorktown 
and the capture of Cornwallis. On this occasion the latter 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 381 

was obliged to accept precisely the same terras of capitu- 
lation that he had aided in imposing upon Lincoln at 
Charleston. Congress, on the 30th of October, appointed 
him Secretary of War, which post he resigned in October, 
1783. He then resumed the care of his farm ; engaged in 
the purchase and settlement of wild lands in Maine, where 
he established one of his sons ; and in 1784, and again in 
1786, was appointed one of the Massachusetts commis- 
sioners to treat with the Penobscot Indians. During 
Sha3's's insurrection in 1786-87, Lincoln, as major-gen- 
eral of the first division of the Mass. militia, was placed 
in command of the State troops ; and by prompt, skilful, 
and decisive measures, speedily dispersed the insurgents, 
who fled in all directions. This he did in two weeks after 
taking the field, in the depth of a severe winter, and with- 
out a drop of blood shed by the troops under his immediate 
command. Gen. Lincoln was a member of the Massachu- 
setts Convention, which in Feb. 1788, ratified the Federal 
Constitution, having in the previous year been elected 
Lieut.-Governor of the State. In Aug. 1789, he was ap- 
pointed collector of the port of Boston, and held office 
until his resignation, in 1809. In the autumn of 1789 he 
was appointed a commissioner, together with Cyrus Griffin 
and David Hamj)hreys, to treat with the Creek Indians; 
and in April, 1793, he was one of the commissioners to 
make peace with the Indians north of the Ohio, but was 
unsuccessful. His journal of this expedition has been pub- 
lished in the Collections of the Mass. Hist. Soc. He be- 
came a meml)er of that Society in 1798, and contributed 
papers published in its Collections: " On the Climate, Soil, 
and Value of the Eastern Counties of the District of Maine ;" 
" On the Religious State of the Eastern Counties ;" and " On 
the Indian Tribes : the causes of their decrease," &c. He 
also contributed a paper " On the Growth of Trees," &c.. 



382 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

to Gary's " American Magazine." He was one of the 
early members of the American Academy of Arts and 
Sciences ; and was President of the Society of the Cincin. 
of Mass. from 1783 until his deatli. In 1780 the honorary 
degree of Master of Arts was conferred on him by Har- 
vard College. The following delineation of his life and 
character, from the pen of Rev. Dr. Kirkland, President of 
Harvard College, was read l)efore the INIass. Hist. Society, 
and published in vol. iii. second series, of their Collec- 
tions : — 

" The interval between General Lincoln's relinquishment of the 
office of Collector and his death passed in much serenity. He 
daily experienced the increasing weiglit of years, but without any 
severe pain. After a short attack of disease, he expired on the 9th 
of May, IS 10, aged 77 years. 

"In General Lincoln's character, strength and softness, the esti- 
mable and amiable qualities, were happily blended. His mind was 
quick and active, yet discriminating and sound. He displayed a 
fund of tliouglit and information, derived from select though limited 
reading, from careful observation of men and things, from habits 
of thinking, and from conversation. A degi'ee of enthusiasm or 
exaltation of feeling upon the objects of his pursuit belonged to his 
temperament, but it was under the control of good sense and sober 
views. He was patient and cool in deliberation ; in execution, 
prompt and vigorous. A real and effective, but not forward or 
bustling, energy pertained to his character. His virtues maintained 
their proper bounds, and were well tempered together. He was 
conspicuous for plain, strict, inflexible integrity, united, howe\'er, 
with prudence, candor, a liberal and compassionate disposition. 
He had, it was said, by constitution strong passions ; but they were 
so disciplined by reason and leligion, and qualified and counteracted 
by good sentiment and generous feelings, that they never betrayed 
him into any extravagance, nor suffered him to give way to any 
impulse of anger. His composure and self-possession, his exemp- 
tion from any apparent weakness or folly, uniform discretion and 
integrity, made him revered ; whilst the goodness of his disposition, 
and his frank and cordial manners, engaged affectionate regard. He 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 383 

knew how to exercise command without exciting aversion. Pay- 
ing deference to the rights and feelings of others, whetlier present 
or absent, his own were not likely to suffer injury or insult. By an 
expressive look, which was understood, by an anecdote, by pleasant 
irony, or more directly, he was sure to notice and to repress any 
symptoms of impertinence or rudeness which any might show in 
his presence. 

" He was always an early riser, temperate in his habits, frugal 
without parsimony, diligent and methodical in his business, and 
able to do much without inconvenience or hurry. The qualities 
and habits mentioned, with a rational religious faith, and sincere 
piety, would naturally be attended by ease and health of heart. 
General Lincoln was habitually cheerful, and was accustomed to 
look on the bright side of objects. He was tender, but not given 
to indulging the wail of sensibility or a spirit of repining and dis- 
content. He believed in the great preponderance of good in the 
human condition, often mentioning particularly the resources and 
comforts accommodated to the successive periods of life, as affording 
proofs of the goodness of the Creator. He thought gratitude, acqui- 
escence, and hope a tribute at all times due to a wise and benevo- 
lent Providence. He was called to encounter adversity in different 
forms, some of which were of a nature to dishearten an ordinary 
man ; but his fortitude and equanimity never forsook him, and he 
always maintained an erect attitude. 

" As a military commander he was judicious, brave, determined, 
indefatigalile. His distinguished merit in this character was never 
denied, whilst all have not agreed in opinion upon some of his 
plans in the Southern command. Being a soldier of the Revolution, 
he had to anticipate the effect of experience, and might commit 
mistakes. He was surrounded by difliciilties, he met extraordinary 
disappointments in his calculations iq^on supplies and succors. In 
the principal instances which issued unfortunately, the storming of 
Savannah and the siege of Charleston, he had but a choice of evils ; 
and, whichever way he decided, the course rejected would have 
seemed to many persons more eligible. He had true courage, 
without rashness. His calmness in danger seemed like unconcern ; 
but he affirmed that he never was exposed without feeling deeply 
interested for his own life and the lives of others. 

" In civil functions of a public nature, such as the office of Lieut.- 



384 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Governor, magistrate, and member of a political body, he took the 
plain way of probity and patriotism, not despising popular favor, 
but never pursuing it as an end, and never thinking it an equivalent 
for the sacrifice of principle. He experienced the benefit of his 
weight of character and the sense entertained by the community of 
his public services, in being suflFered to retain his otHce of Collector, 
long after the Federal party, to which he belonged, had lost jjower. 

" Religion exerted its full infiuence over the mind and conduct of 
General Lincoln. He was a Christian of the anti-sectarian, catho- 
lic, or liberal sect. He was firm in his faith, serious and affectionate 
in his piety, without su]3erstition, fanaticism, or austerity. He was 
from early manhood a communicant, and for a great part of his life 
a deacon of a church. Amidst the license so common in ai'mies, 
no profane expression or irreverent sally escaped his lips ; and no 
stain came upon the purity of his life. 

"The person and air of General Lincoln betokened his military 
vocation. Lie was of middle height, and erect, broad-chested, mus- 
cular, in his latter years corpulent, with open, intelligent features, a 
venerable and benign aspect. His manners were easy and unaf- 
fected, but courteous and polite. He delighted in children, and 
made himself beloved by them. He admitted young persons of 
merit to his intimacy, let them into his sentiments on interesting 
subjects, and was forward to aid their reputation and advancement 
in the world. He had a high relish for the pleasures of conversa- 
tion, in which he bore his part without tediousness or prolixity, 
with good sense, delicate railleiy, well-timed anecdote, and always a 
moral vein. He was a constant and zealous friend. If his judg- 
ment was ever surprised by his feelings, it was when he was re- 
quested to take pecuniary responsibilities for an old companion-in- 
arms, which subjected him to much temporary inconvenience, though 
to no ultimate loss. 

" His house was the seat of real hospitality. The accession to 
his income during the last twenty years of his life was ap{)lie(l to a 
decent provision for his advancing age, to the increase of liis chari- 
ties, and to the benefit of his numerous family. He twice made a 
distribution of considerable sums among his children. 

" Lie lived in great conjugal happiness with the wife of his youth 
more than fifty-five years, and had sons and daughters, in whom and 
in their descendants he found the createst solace. .He saw his chil- 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 385 

dren established in his town or in neighboring places. In his do- 
mestic relations, General Lincoln was distinguished by his accurate 
and amiable discharge of every duty." 

His descent from Thomas^ Lincoln, the cooper, who d. 2 Sept. 
1675, and who m. a dau. of Andrew Lane, was through Benjamin^ 
b. 7 May, 1G43, d. 27 Sept. 1700, m. 6 Feb. 16G7, Sarah Fearing; 
Benjamin,^ h. IG Jan. 1G72; Col. Benjamin* (his father), who d. 
1 Mar. 1771. Gen. Lincoln m. Mary, dau. of Elijah and Eliza- 
beth (Barker) Gushing, and had — 

Benjamin, 1 Nov. 1756, H. U. 1777, began the practice of law 
in Boston, and d. 1788. By his wife Mary, dau. of James Otis, 
he had Benjamin, II. U. IHOG, a physician, who d. Demerara, 
in Aug. 1813 ; and James Otis, H. U. 1807, a lawyer, who m. 
Elizabeth Otis, dau. of Gen. George Stillman of jNIachias, Me., 
and d. Hingham, 12 Aug. 1818. 
Theodore, grad. H. U. 1 785 ; was a lawyer in Dennysville, Me. ; 
a member of the Senate of Mass. ; Judge of Probate and of the 
C. C. P. ; adm. to the Soc. in 1828; and d. 15 June, 1852, sd. 88. 
Martin, b. Hingham, 19 Aug. 1769, d. there 12 Apr. 1837. His 
children still occupy the old homestead, which has now for 
seven successive generations been the fimily seat. — a flict 
rarely met with in this country. 

THEODORE LINCOLN. 
Eldest son of Theodore, and grandson of Gen. Benjamin, 
whom he suec. in 1854 ; was b. Dennysville, Me., 10 Feb. 
1800. He was many years treasurer of his native town, 
and was noted for honesty and uprightness. He m. 25 
Sept. 1823, Elizabeth C, dau. of Abner Lincoln of Hing- 
ham, Mass., and d. 16 Apr. 1867. His eldest son, Theodore, 
served three years as an officer in a Maine reg. in the war 
of the Rebellion, and died, soon after returning to his home 
in Dennysville, of disease contracted in the service. 

BENJAMIN LINCOLN. 
Second son of Theodore, whom he succ. in 1867 ; b. 
Dennysville, Me., 6 Dec. 1832 ; is by occupation a lumber- 
merchant, and resides in his native place. 

49 



386 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 



Bufus Hincoln. 

He was b. Taunton, Mass., 10 Nov. 1751 ; was a lieut. 
at the siege of Boston ; raised a company at Taunton, with 
which he marched to Ticonderoga ; com. lieut. in Brad- 
ford's (14th) reg. 31 Jan. 1777 ; com. capt. 13 Apr. 1780 ; 
in Brooks's (7th) reg. in 1783 ; was made a prisoner at 
Darby (now within the limits of Philadelphia) in 1777, 
and remained a prisoner about a year. He removed in 
1799 to Wareham, where he d. 11 Feb. 1838. 

His descent from Thomas ^ Lincoln, the miller, of Hingham, 
1 635, rem. to Taunton 1 G52, d. 1 G83-84, je. 80, was through Thomas^' 
b. Eng. ; T'homas,^ b. 21 Apr. 165G, who m. 14 Nov. 1G89, Susan- 
nah Smith ; T/iomas,* d. 11 Mar. 17G1 ; Ichabod^ (his father), who 
d. 26 Sept. 17G8. 

He m. Lydia Sprague (b. Lebanon, Ct., 27 Feb. 1758, d. 20 Oct. 
1839), and had — 

Drusilla ; EuFus ; Bkadford ; Prudence ; Gamaliel ; Mi- 
nor Sprague ; Gilbert ; and Lydia (b. Wareham, the oth- 
ers were b. Taunton). 

Drusilla m. Spencer Leonard of Wareham, and had 9 children. 

Bradford m. Mercy Gibbs of Wareham, and had 5 children. 

Prudence m. James Field of Philadelphia, and had 8 children. 

Gamaliel m. Susan Russell of New Bedford, and had 3 children. 

Minor- S. m. 1st Elizabeth Wheaton of Norton, and had 8 chil- 
dren. 

Lydia m. Nathan Ellis, and had 4 children. 

RUFUS LINCOLN. 

- Eldest son of Rufus, whom he succ. in 1856 ; b. Taun- 
ton, Mass., 26 Sept. 1785 ; d. Wareham, Mass., 29 Jan. 
1868. 

By his wife, Mercy Stevens of Fairhaven, he had — 
Lydia Sprague; Seth; Gilbert; James Field. 







SAMFIEILi KIIRMILASO]). 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 387 



Com. 2d lieut. in Crane's art. 1 Feb. 1777 ; accidentally 
killed by a fall while a U. S. commissary of public stores 
at Alliany, where his widow Ann was living some years 
later (1808). 

He was b. Wethersfield, Ct., 21 Jan. 1753 ; d. Glasten- 
bury, Ct., 23 June, 1828 ; Yale Coll. 1774 ; tutor there, 
1779-80 ; chaplain 1st Mass. brigade (Paterson's), 1783 ; 
pastor of 1st Church, Milford, 1784-96 ; and of Glasten- 
bury, 1797-1804. 

His widow, Sarah (Sturges), d. Glastenbury, 31 Aug. 1834. They 
had — 

Anx, 5 Oct. 1785, m. Geo. Phuner, 7 May, 1807. 

Sarah, 4 Apr. 1787, m. Joseph Wright, 24 Nov. 1807. 

Samuel, 6 Jan. 1789, merchant in Glastenbury. 

William, 9 Sept. 1792, d. 6 Dec. 1827. 

Priscilla, 21 Nov. 179G. 

Jctemialj 2Lortr» 

Com. ensign in Nixon's (6th) reg. 15 June, 1781 ; d. 
Berwick, Me., ab. 1795, leaving a widow Patty (who d. 
1803) and four children. 

REV. SAMUEL KIRKLAND LOTHROP, D.D. 

The Rev. Samuel Kirkland, the grandfather of Dr. Lo- 
throp, was b. in Norwich, Ct., on the 1st of December, 1741. 
He was of the third generation in descent from John Kirk- 
land, whose name appears among the thirty-six heads of 
families who settled Saybrook in 1635. His father, Daniel, 
b. in Saybrook, 1701, graduated at Yale in .1720, was 
ordained as the first pastor of the Third Congregational 
Church in Norwich, in December, 1723, and subsequently 
m. Hannah Perkins of Windsor, Ct. Samuel was the 



388 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

tenth in a family of twelve children ; and his early years 
were passed under circumstances and influences that served 
to nurture those qualities of self-reliance, energy, and 
devotedness which he subsequently displayed as an Indian 
missionary. His preparatory education was at Rev. Dr. 
Wheelock's school at Lebanon, from which he entered the 
Sophomore class at Nassau Hall, Princeton, N.J., hi 1702. 
He did not remain to graduate with his class, — though 
his degree was awarded to him, — but left college in the 
winter of his Senior year, to prepare himself by a residence 
among the Senecas to become an Indian missionary. From 
his subsequent intimacy with Whitefield, and the fact that 
he named one of his sons after that celebrated preacher, 
it has been inferred that Whitefield's influence led him 
to this work ; but there is no evidence that he ever saw 
Whitefield till 1766, after he had been nearly two years 
among the Senecas, and had returned to Connecticut for 
the express purpose of being ordained as a missionary 
specially sent to the (Jneidas, one of the noblest and best 
of the " Six Nations." The promptings of his own heart 
were in harmony with the suggestions and wishes of the 
friends whom he knew best and loved most ; and, un- 
doubtedly, it was largely owing to the influence of Ur. 
Wheelock, and arrangements made by him, that Mr. Kirk- 
land, then just entering upon his twenty-second year, left 
college, and repairing to Sir William Johnson's, on the 
Mohawk, travelled thence on snow-shoes 1;30 miles into the 
wilderness with two chiefs of the Seneca nation, with whom 
at starting he could not speak a word. The authority and 
recommendations of Sir William Johnson, and the impres- 
sion he made upon these chiefs, were the sources of Mr. 
Kirkland's safety ; but the Senecas were the most fierce 
and savage of the "Six Nations," no Protestant mission- 
ary had ever been among them ; and many times, during 
his eighteen months' residence with them, his life was in 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 389 

imminent peril. " He was," says Parish, " in various re- 
spects peculiarly qualified for his arduous task. He pos- 
sessed uncommon constitutional strength and vivacity ; a 
mind fearless in danger ; a great fund of benevolence ; and 
a heart devoted to the cause of the Redeemer, and zealous 
for the conversion of the heathen. He travelled among 
these barbarians unattended, boldly persevered in the good 
work, endured trials and encountered dangers which would 
have appalled a common mind with terror and dismay. 
Although famine spread its horrors round him, and his life 
was often in danger from some who watched an oppor- 
tunity to kill liim, yet he continued with them more than 
eighteen months, taught from the Word of Life, and ob- 
tained a competent knowledge of their language. The 
contempt with which these haughty and blood-thirsty war- 
riors first beheld him was in many instances converted 
into admiration of his courage and kindness, and some 
expressed their desire to be instructed in iiis religion." 

Mr. Kirkland returned from his sojourn among the 
Senecas early in the summer of 1766 ; was ordained and 
commissioned a missionary to the Indians by the agents of 
the Hon. Society in Scotland, on the 19th of June ; left 
on the 9th of July, and began his missionary labors among 
the Oneidas on the 1st of August, and continued liis labors 
among them nearly forty years. He made a visit to Ct., 
and was married, in 1769, to Mary Bingham, a niece of 
Dr. Wheelock, who returned with him to Oneida. As the 
troubled times of the Kevolution approached, by order of 
the Society in Scotland, he bought a small farm in Stock- 
bridge, Mass., and removing his family there returned to 
his post : and for the next twelve or fifteen years was 
only an occasional visitor of his wife and children. During 
the Revolutionary war his mission, though not absolutely 
abandoned, was virtually discontinued, as he was often and 
for a long time absent, and at a great distance from Oneida, 



390 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

serving as chaplain in the continental army, or acting as an 
agent for the continental Congress in negotiations with the 
Indians. In the autumn of 1776 he was serving as chap- 
lain, under a commission from Congress, to the garrison at 
Fort Schuyler, Avhere the hard duties and labors of the 
soldiers rendered it, as he writes his wife, "inconvenient 
for public prayers save once a day ; but I am to be faith- 
ful in improving opportunities of personal intercourse with 
the troops, to enliven their love of God and of liberty, 
and their readiness to do and suffer for the cause of the 
country." In 1777-78 he was still chaplain at Fort Schuy- 
ler and other posts in that quarter, but was largely occu- 
pied in efforts to keep as many as possible of the " Six 
Nations " from joining the British standard, and in pro- 
curing, through friendly Indian scouts and his own per- 
sonal journeys into western New York, intelligence from 
Niagara and the lake frontier, and communicating to head- 
quarters the plans and purposes of the enemy so far as 
ascertained. In 1779, as brigade chaplain, he accompanied 
Gen, Sullivan in his campaign on the Susquehanna ; and 
his letters to his family at this time contain very interesting 
descriptions of that distinguished officer and of the ter- 
rible devastation and sorrow caused by the massacre at 
Wyoming. The next year he returned to his post at Fort 
Schuyler, and as chaplain and an Indian missionary, having 
large influence with a very considerable portion of the Six 
Nations, continued to render important services to the 
close of the war. This conclusion seems to be sustained 
by the fact that, while the Society in Scotland refused to 
allow more than £300 of the X790 which the Board of 
Indian commissioners " candidly thought on full considera- 
tion to be due to him," Congress in 1785, on representa- 
tions made, voted him his full pay as brigade chaplain and 
an additional grant of two hundred and fifty pounds in 
consideration of special civil services rendered during the 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 391 

war. After the close of the war, Mr. Kirklancl removed 
his family again to Oneida, and devoted himself chiefly to 
his mission, though he still continued to be an important 
and valuable medium of communication in negotiations 
between the government and the Indians ; and in 1792, 
acting under the authority of Gen. Knox, Secretary of 
War, he succeeded in conducting to Philadelphia a depu- 
tation of about forty Indian chiefs ; and the friendly rela- 
tions thus estabhshed through his influence between the 
STOvernment and the Six Nations saved the frontiers of New 
York and Pennsylvania from being the scene of the savage 
warfare and barbarity which were soon after exhibited in 
the North-west Territory. Mr. Kirkland d. Feb. 28, 1808. 
His life was one of eminent usefulness, — a sincere oblation 
upon the altar of duty, benevolence, and patriotism. 

Samuel Kirkland, son of John H. and Jerusha (Kirkland) 
Lothrop, was b. Utica, N.Y., 13 Oct. 1804 ; H. U. 1825 ; 
ordained pastor of the Second Church, Dover, N.H., 18 
Feb. 1829 ; and since 18 June, 1834, has been pastor of 
the Brattle St. Church, Boston. He received the honorary 
degree of Doctor of Divinity from H. U. in 1852 ; is a mem- 
ber of the Mass. Hist. Soc, and was adm. a member of the 
Mass. Soc. Cin. in 1868, under the rule adopted by the 
Gen. Soc. in May, 1854. Besides numerous occasional 
sermons and addresses. Dr. Lothrop is the author of a Life 
of Samuel Kirkland in Sparks's Amer. Biog., 2d series, 
vol. XV. ; a History of Brattle Street Church, 12mo, 1851 ; 
and Proceedings of an Ecclesiastical Council in the case of 
Rev. John Pierpont, 1841. 

James HotJclL 

He was grandson of the celebrated "Master" John 
Lovell, and son of James, a member of Congress ; was b. 
Boston, 9 July, 1758 ; H. U. 1776 ; com. ensign in H. 
Jackson's (16th) reg. 25 May, 1777; adjutant, 10 Apr. 



392 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

1778 ; cornet and adjutant of Lee's legion, 1780-83 ; was 
in various battles of the war, ending with that of Eutaw 
S^^rings, and served under Gen. Lincoln in S.C., where he 
subsequently settled as a planter, and d. in St. Matthew's 
Parish, S.C., 10 Jidy, 1850, without descendants. Vice- 
Pres. of the Society, 1819-50. 

His emigrant ancestor was Capt. Wilham Lovell, of Dorchester, 
in 1630, captain of a coasting vessel, from wliom Lovell's Island in 
Boston Harbor was named. J. Smith Lovell, younger brother of 
James, had numerous descendants. 

MANSFIELD LOVELL. 

Eldest male heir of Lieut. James, whom he succ. in 
1851 ; b. District of Columbia, Nov. 1822 ; West Point, 
1812 ; served in the JNIexican war, and resigned his com- 
mission in 1851. Joining the Confederate army, he was 
made a major-gen. ; was in command at New Orleans 
when that city was captured, and afterward commanded a 
corps in Johnston's army. He resides in Savannali. 

Manitl Hunt* 

He was of Falmouth ; was a member of Brackett's Co. 
of minute-men in Apr. 1775 ; sergeant of the same com- 
pany in Phinney's reg. 10 May, 1775 ; in Skillens's Co. of 
Francis's reg. 1776 ; com. 2d lieut. of Francis's reg. 3 Feb. 
1777; capt. in Tupper's (lltli) reg. 18 Mar. 1780; in 
Vose's (1st) reg. 1783. He was living in Westbrook, 
Me., in 1819, se. 69, an invalid. 

(tovmliuu llgman. 

He was b. Northampton, 7 Jan. 1758 ; com. ensign, 1 Jan. 
1781 ; in Sprout's (2d) reg. in 1783 ; app. lieut. 2d U. S. 
Inf. 4 Mar. 1791; capt. July, 1792; d. 23 Mar. 1805, at 
Fort Knox, Indian Territory. 

Son of Capt. William and Jemima (Sheldon) Lyman. He m. 
Sarah Mason of Boston. They had one son. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 393 

JAMES WILKINSON LYMAN. 

Only surviving child of Cornelius, whom he succ. in 
1818 ; d. unm. 1821. 

WILLIAM LYMAN. 

Son of Gen. William (who was the elder bro. of Cor- 
nelius), and cousin of James W. Lyman, whom he succ. 
'in 1822. He m. a dau. of Kirk Boott of Lowell, and died 
without issue. 

Ensign in Bigelow's (15th) reg. at Rhode Island, in 
1778 ; com. lieut. in Bowman's Co. in R. Putnam's (5th) 
reg. 28 June, 1779; adjutant same reg. 1780-83. He d. 
Westboro', Mass., 22 Sept. 1841, se. 86, leaving a widow, 
but no children. 

Com. 2d lieut. in Crane's art. 2 Feb. 1777 ; 1st lieut. 
28 Oct. 1782. His father, Col. David Mason of Boston, 
had charge for some time of the arsenal at Springfield, and 
d. Boston, 17 Sept. 1794. 

Col. Mason by his wife Hannah, grand-daughter of Rev. Thomas 
Symmes, had a dau. Hannah, who m. Capt. John Bryant of Bos- 
ton. David, Jr., was succ. in 1802 by his nei:)hew, John Bryant. 

JAMES MEANS MASON. 
Eldest grandson of Capt. James Means, whom he succ. 
in 1846 ; resides in Westbrook, Me. 

He was b. Minterburn, T3'rone Co., Ireland, 27 Apr. 
1733, in which jeav Hugh his father, who was a Calvinist, 
emigrated to New England, and settled on a farm in Bed- 
ford, where he d. in 1759. The son learned the art of sur- 

50 



394 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

veying, which he afterward practised in addition to his 
occupation of farmer. He served five campaigns in the 
war of 1757-63 ; was taken at Fort Edward, barely escap- 
ing with his life, and was com. ensign in Ruggles's reg. 31 
Mar. 1759. In 1773 he settled in Charlemont, now Heath, 
Mass. ; was app. early in 1775 lieut. of a company of min- 
ute-men, with which he marched to Cambridge on hearing 
of the Lexington battle, and joining Prescott's reg. was • 
com. capt. 10 May, 1775. At Bunker's Hill a ball passed 
through his right shoulder. He served in Prescott's reg. 
near New York, afterward in Bailey's (2d), of which he 
was com. major, 7 July, 1777 ; and was com. lieut. -col. of 
M. Jackson's (8th) reg. 1 Aug. 1782. He M^as present at 
the siege of Boston, battles of Trenton, Princeton, Saratoga, 
and INIonmouth, and in the successful attack in Jan. 1781, 
on De Lancey's Loyalists at Morrisania. He was town 
clerk of Heath in 1791-99 ; Justice of the Peace in Hamp- 
shire Co. 1785-99 ; and d. on the return voyage from the 
West Indies, 14 Oct. 1799. He m. in 1759 Bridget Monroe 
of Lexington, and had seven children. 

HUGH MAXWELL. 

Eldest son of Col. Hugh, whom he succ. in 1820 ; b. 
Bedford, Mass., 13 Mar. 1770 ; d. Heath, Mass., 23 Feb. 
1849. 

WILLIAM MUNROE MAXWELL. 

Only living son of Hugh, wliom he succ. in 1872 ; re- 
sides in Heath, Mass. 

He was b. Framingham, Mass., 14 May, 1753 ; d. Lan- 
caster, Mass., 21 Jan. 1823. Acting ensign in Nixon's reg. 
at the battle of Bunker's Hill, where he was wounded, 
and being unable to walk was borne to Cambridge by his 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 395 

brother, Hon. Needham Maynard ; com. lieut. in Greaton's 
(3d) reg. 11 Nov. 1777 ; afterward quartermaster. He 
was made prisoner by the British Col. Norton at White 
Plains, 3 Feb. 1780. Removed to Lancaster. 

His descent from John^ Maynard, of Sudbury, d. 10 Dec. 1G72, 
Avlio m. Mary Axdell in 164G, was through Zachary^- b. 7 June, 
1647, d. 1724, who m. in 1678 Hannah Coolidge ; Jonathan? b. 8 
Apr. 1685, removed to Framhigham, d. 1760, who m. 10 Dec. 1714, 
Mehetable Needom ; Joseph^ (his father), b. 20 Nov. 1725, d. 3 Aug. 
1769, who m. 29 May, 1746, Abigail Jennings. 

He m. Martha Wilder of Lancaster. 

Jonatijaii |Wai?narTi. 

He was b. Framingham, Mass., 22 May, 1752, d. there 
17 July, 1835 ; H. U. 1775. Com. lieut. in Nixon's reg. 
and present at the battle of Banker's Hill ; com. capt. 25 
Jan. 1781, in Brooks's (7th) reg. ; became a prisoner, and 
was exchanged in Dec. 1780, and served through the war. 
He was a trustee of Framingham Academy, selectman, 
town clerk, and representative of F. in 1800 and 1805, 
and afterward a State senator, enjoying in a high degree 
the esteem and confidence of his fellow-townsmen. 

Grandson of Jonathan ^ and Mehetable (Needom) Maynard, and 
son oi Jonathan* and Martha (Gleason) Maynard. He m. 30 JMay, 
1784, Lois Eaton, and had no issue. 

asSilliam piafinartr. 

Brother of Jonathan Maynard ; b. Framingham, 29 Mar. 
1745 ; d. in South Carolina, where he wont as a teacher ab. 
1788. Com. lieut. in Gardner's (afterward Nixon's) reg. 
May, 1775 ; received at Bunker's Hill a bullet in the hip, 
which he bore with him to his grave, and was in June, 
1779, transferred as a captain to the invalid reg. Six years 
town clerk of Framingham. 



396 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

By his wife Mary Pepper, who d. 12 Mar. 17H0, he had — 

John. 

Martha, 8 May, 1768, m. 1 Jan. 1798, Isaac Damon of East 

Sudhxiry. 
Mary, 2 Jinie, 1770. m. Eph. Carter of Lancaster, d. June, 1827. 
Benjamin, 4 Apr. 1772, d. nnm. in Demerara, ab. 1810. 
William, 11 Mar. 1774, m. 12 Mar. 1797, Eunice Dench, d. 15 

Nov. 1804. 
Thomas, 25 Dec. 1775, d. unm. in Demerara, ab. 1808. 

JOHN MAYNARD. 

Eldest son of Capt. William, whom he succ. in 1804 ; 
b. Framingham, Mass., 3 Oct. 1766 ; cl. Scarborough, Me., 
June, 1818. He m. Mary Durant at Santa Cruz. 

CORNELIUS DURANT MAYNARD. 

Eldest son of John, whom he succ. in 1839 ; d. Portland, 
Me., in Mar. 1855. 

Com. ensign in R. Putnam's (5th) reg. 10 May, 1782 ; 

in Vose's (1st) reg. 1783. 

He was b. Easton (formerly Stoughton), Mass., 1750 ; d. 
Canton, Mass., Aug. or Sept. 1798. John, his father, came 
from Antrim, Ireland, and d. 1786. Com. lieut. and quar- 
termaster in Brooks's (7th) reg. 20 Oct. 1781. 

GEORGE ALBERT McKENURY. 

Great grandson of Archibald, only brother of Lieut. Wil- 
liam, whom he succ. in 1859 ; grandson of Benjamin, and 
son of Albert ; b. Dorchester, Mass., 1 Oct. 1836 ; resides 
in Westboro', Mass. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 397 

James ftteans. 

He was a sergeant in Williams's Co. of Pliinney's 
reg. at the siege of Boston ; was com. ensign, 3 Aug. 1776 ; 
2d lieut. in Brewer's reg. in 1777 ; com. captain in Sprout's 
(12tli) reg. 5 July, 1779 ; in 2d reg. in 1783. He d. 
Westbrook, Me., in 1882, leaving two daugliters, one of 

whom, Sophia, m. Mason, and d. 1837, leaving seven 

children. Succ. by James Means Mason. 

<Samucl IHellisf). 

Com. lieut. in Greaton's (3d) reg. 16 Sept. 1778 ; after- 
ward paymaster; d. Roxbury, Mass., in Sept. 1797, se. 42, 
leaving a widow, Elizabeth, who d. in Roxbury in 1804, 
and a dan. Claeinda. 

Jn'emial) pliUcr. 

He was b. Richmond, Berkshire Co., Mass., 1749, d. 
there 3 Aug;. 1785. Serjeant in D. Noble's Co. in Pater- 
son's reg. at the siege of Boston in 1775 ; com. ensign 
and lieut. in 1776 ; captain and paymaster in Vose's (1st) 
reg. 1 Jan. 1777, and severely wounded at Monmouth, 28 
June, 1778, and " never well afterward." His wife d. in 
Nov. 1784. 

His only dau. Abby m. Benj. Rossiter, who d. in N.Y. in 1815, 
and had G. H. Rossiter, of Windham Centre, N.Y., b. Richmond, 
Mass., 31 Jan. 1801. She afterward m. Dr. Saxton of Fall Rivei-, 
Mass., and d. Aug. 1867, a&. 88. 

Com. 2d lieut. in Smith's (13th) reg. 80 May, 1778 ; 1st 
lieut. and adjutant, 25 May, 1780 ; in Tupper's (6th) reg. 
in 1783. 



398 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 



Of Boston : d. unm. at Greenville, O., 8 July, 1790. En- 
sio-n in Wliiteomb's reg. at the siege of Boston ; eoni.lieut. 
in Paterson's reg'. 20 ^lar. 1777 ; captain in Vose's (1st) 
reg. 16 Apr. 1779, in which he served to the end of the 
war. App. captain 2d U. S. Inf. 4 Mar. 1791 ; major 2d 
sub. legion, 17 Feb. 1798 ; adjutant and inspector of the 
army, 18 May, 1794 ; and distinguished in Wayne's victor\' 
over the Miami Indians, 20 Aug. 1794. 

Of Westminster, ^lass. ; emigrated to Ohio in 1789, and 
d. there before 1812. Com. ensign in Bradford's (14th) 
reg. 31 Jan. 1777 : lieut. 1778 ; com. captain in Brooks's 
(7th) reg. 11 ^lay, 1781 : remained in the service till the 
end of the war. 

He was b. Haverhill, Mass., 1 Apr. 1758 ; d. Plattsburg, 
N.Y., 20 Feb. 1888. In 1770 he entered the army as a 
volunteer, and served at Ticonderoga ; in the following 
winter was com. ensign in Moses Hazen's reg., called 
"■ Congress's own,"' a gallant corps, mostly made up of 
Canadian refugees ; and being soon afterward promoted to 
lieut. and adjutant, served in that capacity to the close of 
the war. He saw much active service, and was present at 
the surrender of Burgoyne at Saratoga, and at the capitu- 
lation of Coruwallis at Yorktown. At the close of the 
war, he settled in Plattsburg, X.Y., then a wilderness ; 
was the first sheriff of the county, which he represented 
in the State Assembly four terms ; also served four terms 
in the Senate of N.Y., and was President />ro tern, of that 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 399 

body. He Ijecame an officer in the militia at an early clay, 
and finally rose to the rank of major-gen., in which capac- 
ity he was in the U. S. service in 1812, and commanded 
the militia at the battle of Plattsburg, 11 Sept. 1814, with 
such credit as to merit the commendation of the State 
Legislature and the presentation of a sword. For thirty- 
eight years he was treasurer of the county, and was Pres- 
ident of the Clinton Co. Bible Society, and of the County 
Temperance Society. 

ZMilliam fHoor. 

He was com. 2d lieut. in Crane's art. 9 Sept. 1778, and 
served to the end of the war. Re-entering the service, he 
was com. a lieut. 1 May, 1787 ; com. lieut. of art. 29 Sept. 
1789 ; and d. in 1791 at the river St. Mary's, Ga., leaving 
no descendants. 

2UiUiam ^Hoorc. 

Of Oxford, Mass. ; d. there 6 Aug. 1819 ; H. U. 1767. 
Ensign in Ebenezer Francis's reg. in 1776 ; capt.-lieut. in 
Shepard's (4th) reg. in Sullivan's R.I. campaign in 1778 ; 
com. capt. 15 June, 1779, and served through the war. 

JStni'amin fHocflan. 

Com. surgeon's mate in Vose's (1st) reg. 21 Mar. 1782; 
dischargedTo Oct. 1783. His widow, who lived at Ben- 
nington Centre, Vt., applied for a government pension in 
1859. 

Of Epsom, N.H. ; d. St. Albans, Vt., in Jan. 1810, se. 
76. 1st lieut. of Dearborn's Co. in Stark's reg. at Bunker's 
Hill ; com. capt. 1st N.H. reg. 8 Nov. 1776 ; major, 24 Mar. 
1780-83. 



400 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Silas J*lotton. 

He was the son of Silas and Martha Morton of Ply- 
mouth ; b. 21 July, 1752 ; d. Pembroke, Mass., 25 Mar. 
1840. Entering a Plymouth company of minute-men 
early in 1775, he was com. lieut. in Bailey's (2d) reg. 1 
Jan. 1777, and left the army a bvt.-capt. 30 Oct. 1783. 
Present at the siege of Boston, surrender of Burgoyne at 
Saratoga, surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, storming 
of Stony Point, and at West Point at the time of Arnold's 
treason. He was often confidentially employed as bearer 
of despatches, and at the close of the contest, in recog- 
nition of his merit, was the recipient of a sword from 
Congress, which is now in the possession of the family. 

He m. 5. Jan. 1792, Elizabeth, dau. of Robert Foster of King- 
ston, and had — 

Elizabeth Foster, 23 Oct. 1792, m. 6 Dec. 1821, AYm. P. 

Ripley of Plymouth, d. 19 Dec. 1822, leaving one dau.. 
Silas, 2 Aug. 1794, d. 1872-73. 
Cakoline, 30 May, 1796, m. 11 Mar. 1821, Robert Briggs of 

Boston, and has surviving 3 sons and 3 daughters. 
George AVashington, 1G Aug. 1798, m. Jan. 1821, Sarah H. 

Carter of Augusta, Me., d. 25 Sept. 18G2. One son and two 

daughters surv. 
Sarah Foster, 27 Dec. 1800, m. 3 May, 1825, Wm. C. Bar- 
stow of Pembroke. Has surv. 2 sons and 3 daughters. 
Mary Ann, 10 Dec. 1803, unm. 
Lucia Davis, 9 June, 1806, m. 20 Feb. 1825, Isaac Folsom of 

Me. Has surv. 2 sons and 3 daughters. 
Harriet, 19 May, 1810, m. 23 Apr. 1832, Caleb C. Gilbert of 

New Bedford, no issue. 

EDWARD STRONG MOSELEY. 

He was b. Newburyport, Mass., 22 June, 1813. Ebe- 
nezer his grandfather, a direct descendant from John 
Moseley, or Maudesley, of Dorchester, 1630, freeman 
1638-39, was b. 19 Feb. 1741, at Windham, now Hampton, 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 401 

Ct. ; grad. Y. C. 1763 ; oi'dained in Sept. 1767, to a ministry 
among the Western Indians, as missionar}^ of the Society 
for Propagating the Gospel in N. E. Com. capt. in Apr. 
1775, in Israel Putnam's (3d Ct.) reg., which he accom- 
panied to Cambridge, and was in the battle of Bunker's 
Hill. In 1777 the Governor authorized him to raise 1,092 
men to join the army at Providence under Gen. Spencer, 
and he was app. one of the captains. Col. of the 5th Ct. 
reg. in 1789, 1790, and 1791. He represented Windham 
during the latter part of the Revolution and for some years 
subsequently^ and d. 20 Mar. 1825. His son, Hon. Eben- 
ezer, b. 21 Nov. 1781, grad. Y. C. 1802, settled in Newbury- 
port ; was col. (6th) reg. Mass. militia in 1813-14 ; rep- 
resentative and senator of Mass., and Master in Chancery ; 
president of the Essex Co. Agricultural Society ; and filled 
many positions of public trust and honor. Edward Strong, 
his eldest son, was admitted in 1867 a member of the 
Society, under the rule of May, 1854 ; was engaged for 
many years in the East India trade, and is president of 
the Mechanic's National Bank, Newburyport, and of the 
Institution for Savings. In 1870 he received the honorary 
degree of A.M. from Yale College. 

The descent of Ebenezer S. Moseley from John^ of Dorchester, 
fl. 1661, and wife Elizabeth, was through J%omas,"^ d. 22 Oct, 1706, 
who m. 28 Oct. 1658, Mary, dau. of Thomas Lawrence of Iling- 
ham ; Ebenezer,^ b. 4 Sept. 1073, who m. Hannah Weeks; Rev. 
Samuel," b. 15 Aug. 1708, d. 26 July, 1791, 11. U. 1729, ord. pas- 
tor 2d church in Windham (now Hampton, Ct.), 15 May, 1734, 
who m. 4 July, 1734, Bethiah Billings, widow of Rev. Wm. Bill- 
ings and dau. of .Joseph Otis, Esq. ; Col. Ebenezer,^ b. 19 Feb. 
1741, d. 20 Mar. 1825, who m. 14 Sept. 1773, Martha Strong, 
sister of CtOv. Caleb Strong ; Hon. Ebenezer ^ (his father), who m. 
17 June, 1810, Mary Ann, dau. of Edward Oxnard (H. U. 1767). 

Edward S. Mosele}^ m. 5 Feb, 1839, Charlotte Augusta, dau. of 

Rev, George T. Chapman, D,D., and had — 

51 



402 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

George Chapman, 19 May, 1841, d. G Dec. 1848. 

Edward Augustus, 23 Mar. 1846, m. 13 Apr. 18G9, Catharine 

M. Prescott. 
Charles Willtaji, 24 Dec. 1847. 
Mary Alice, 14 Mar. 1850. 
Frederic Strong, 19 Mar. 1852. 
Arthur Chapman, 19 Mar. 1854, d. 19 Apr. 1854. 
Charlotte Augusta, 2G Mar. 185G. 
Georgian A Oxnard, 22 Apr. 1858, d. 2 Mar. 18G5. 

Samuel pigrCdt. 

Of Watertown, Mass. ; was a private in A. Crafts's Co. 
of Bond's reg. in 1775 ; com. lieut. and quartermaster in 
Sprout's (12th) reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; 1st lieut. 5 Sept. 1780 ; 
in 2d reg. in 1783 ; pensioner, living in Vt. in 1820. 
Married 11 Apr. 1786, Martha Brewer of Waltham, who 
was living in 1817. 

Natt)anicl tJ^ason. 

He was of Berwick, Me. ; enlisted in 1775 as orderly 
sergeant of a company raised in South Berwick ; was com. 
lieut. in Vose's (1st) reg. 1 Aug. 1779; quarterm. 1 Feb. 
1782 ; and was brevet-capt. at the close of the war. A 
curiously engraved powder-horn which he had at Ticon- 
deroga, Nov. 1776, when in the 18th (Phinney's) reg., is 
preserved. He d. in South Berwick, 27 July, 1818, ce. 72. 
His wife, Betsey JNIanning, d. in June, 1837. Tliey had — 

Sabina, who m. Moses Grant, and had G sons and 1 daughter. 

Lucius Quintius Cincinnatus, b. 4 June, 1791, d. 1872 (elected 
a member of the Society in 18G9), m. 7 July, 1825, Sarah W., 
dau. of Richard Garland, a Revol. soldier of Bartlett, N.H. (b. 
28 Apr. 1794). 

Hope, m. nannuli Hubbard, and had 3 daughters and 1 son. 

Ji}tnvs Kelson. 

Ensign and quarterm. in Vose's (1st) reg. ; com. lieut. 
15 Mar. 1782 ; in 3d reg. 1783. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 403 

He was b. Ct. 1733 ; removed in early life to Saugus, 
Mass. Was com. by Gov. Pownall, 20 Feb. 1760, an en- 
sign in Ruggles's (1st) battalion serving in the French 
war ; was capt. of a Lynn Co. in May, 1775 ; in Mansfield's 
reg. and in Hatchinson's reg. at the siege of Boston and 
invasion of Canada ; major in 1776 ; lieut.-col. of Put- 
nam's (5th) reg. 17 May, 1777 ; present at Burgoyne's 
surrender, and served with honor throughout the war. He 
settled in Salem in 1784 ; in 1791 was app. Collector U. S. 
Revenue for a portion of Essex Co. ; and d. 7 Apr. 1798. 
An obituary notice of Col. Newhall speaks thus : " He 
served his country with fidelity and honor ; and in civil 
and domestic life the character of an honest man, faithful 
friend, tender husband, and kind parent, was most con- 
spicuous in him." 

lie m. 1st Sarah Fuller of Lynn; 2d, Eliza Breed, widow of 
Albert Gray, and had — 
Thomas. 
Samuel. 
Gilbert, 10 Oct. 1775, d. 15 Oct. 18G3, who followed his father's 

business, and kept a livery stable. 
Joseph, a tinsmith, who d. unm. 

THOMAS NEWHALL. 

Eldest son of Col. Ezra, whom he succ. in 1802 ; b. Sau- 
gus, 1754 ; d. Salem, 1 Jan. 1832. He m. 30 Dec. 1783, 
Mehitable Cheever (b. 23 July, 1762, d. 12 Jan. 1830), 
and had — 

Thomas, 12 Oct. 1784, lost at sea, Oct. 1811. 
Sally, 7 Jidy, 1787, d. 3 Dec. 1787. 
Lyman, 3 Feb. 1790, d. in infancy. 
Samuel, 3 May, 1792, lost at sea, Oct. 1811. 
Dudley S., 4 July, 1794, d. Illinois, 7 Dec. 1842. 



404 BIOGEAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Sarah, 31 Jan. 1797, m. 8 May, 1820, Wm. S. Wait, d. Illinois, 

14 Sept. 18G5. 
Charlotte, 2 Oct. 1799, d. 14 Oct. 1801. 
Edward A. II., 5 Dec. 1802. 
Benjamin L. Newhall, grandson of Ezra, app. for adm. in 1872. 

He entered the Boston Latin School hi 1766 ; served 
two years and seven months in Crafts's art. reg. as a lie at., 
afterward in the navy until 1783, and was twice a prisoner ; 
in Capt. S. Nicholson's frigate in the Delaware ; and in 
the " Deane " in May — Nov. 1782. App. lieut. 2d U. S. 
Inf. 4 INIar. 1791 ; capt. 7 Nov. 1791, but had been killed 
4 Nov. 1791, in St. Clair's battle with the Miami Indians. 
Adm. a member of the Soc. in 1786. 

HENRY NEWMAN. 

Eldest brother of Samuel, whom he succ. in 1802 ; b. 
Boston, 1756 ; d. 28 Nov. 1811 ; Boston Latin School, 
1764. He m. Deborah, dau. of Lieut.-Gov. Thomas Gush- 
ing, who d. 9 May, 1845, i,e. 82. 

HENRY NEWMAN. 

Eldest son of Henry, -whom he succ. in iSlo ; d. Boston, 
28 July, 1861, a3. 78. 

.Samuel tUCicijoIson. 

He was b. Chestertown, eastern shore of Md., 1743 ; d. 
senior officer of the navy, at Charlestown, Mass., 29 Dec. 
1811. He was a lieut. under Paul Jones in the action 
between the " Bon Homme llichard " and " Serapis ; " 
was made a capt. 17 Sept. 1779, and early in 1782 com- 
manded the " Deane " of 32 guns, in which he cruised 
successfully, taking among other prizes 3 sloops of war 
wdth an aggregate of 41 guns. Again com. capt. on the 
reorganization of the navy, 10 June, 1794, and was the tirst 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 405 

commander of the frigate " Constitution," which was built 
and launched under his supervision. 

Com. Nicholson m. at Ten Hills Farm, 9 Feb. 1780, Mary Dowse, 
a niece of Sir John Temple. She d. IG Apr. 1815, vd. 57. Chil- 
dren : — 

Ann Temple, 28 Jan. 1781, m. Greene, d. Norwalk, Ct., 

6 May, 1853. 

Samuel, 19 Apr. 1783, d. 25 Sept. 1798. 

Joseph, 3 Oct. 1784, d. Phila. 29 Aug. 1821. 

Robert Dowse, 7 Apr. 1786, d. 12 Dec. 1798. 

Edward Dowse, 15 Dec. 1787, d. 14 July, 1807. 

Nathanii^l Dowse, 14 Feb. 1790, d. Dedham, Mass., 24 June, 
1822. 

Maria, 13 Feb. 1794, d. 10 Jan. 1859. 

James, 18 Sept. 1795, d, Lagrange, 18 Oct. 1822. 

Elizabeth Templk, 13 Nov. 1797, d. Boston, 25 Sept. 1798. 

Elizabeth Rebecca, 10 Mar. 1800. 

He was 1). Framingham, Mass., 7 May, 1736 ; d. on the 
passage from Boston to Portland, 12 Aug. 1800. Chris- 
topher, his father, came to Framingham from the South, 
and m. ab. 1726 Mary Sever. John, his elder bro., b. 11 
Mar. 1727, was a soldier at the capture of Louisburg, in 
1745 ; a captain at the battle of Lake George, 8 July, 
1758 ; led a company of minute-men from Sudbury in the 
battle of Lexington ; commanded a regiment at Bunker's 
Hill, and was severely wounded ; com. brig.-gen. 9 Aug. 
1776, and commanded the first Mass. brigade at Stillwater, 
where a cannon-ball passed so near his head as to impair 
permanently the sight of one eye and the hearing of one 
ear. In poor health, he resigned his com. 12 Sept. 1780 ; 
removed to Middlebury, Vt., ab. 1803, and d. there 24 
Mar. 1815. Col. Thomas Nixon was an ensign in the 
French war (1756-63) ; capt. of minute-men, and present 
at the battle of Lexington in 1775 ; lieut.-col. of his 



406 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

brother's (Col. John Nixon's) reg. at the siege of Boston ; 
col. of the 6th continental reg. from 9 Aug. 1776, to 1 
Jan. 1781 ; distinguished in the battles precedhig Bur- 
goyne's surrender in Oct. 1777, and served to the close 
of the war with bravery and efficiency. He removed to 
Southboro' about 1784. 

By his wife, Bethia Stearns, he had — 

Gate, 31 July, 1758, in. AVm. Stowell of AVorcester, moved to 

Paris, Me., and d. 1842. 
Thomas. 

Asa, 17 Aug. 17G7, d. 1 Dec. 1771. 
Hannah, 21 Sept. 1772, ra. John Nichols of Southboro'. 
Bethiah, d. Southboro', 19 Mar. 1823. 

THOMAS NIXON. 

Only son of Col. Thomas, whom he succ. in 1802 ,• b. 
Framingham, Mass., 19 Mar. 1762, d. there 4 Jan. 1842. 
He was a fifer at the Concord fight ; quartern!. -sergeant 
in his father's reg. until discharged, 1 Dec. 1780 ; and was 
two years a selectman of Framingham. 

He m. IG May, 1790, Lydia Hagar, of Marlboro', who d. 21 
May, 1822. Children: — 
Warukn. 

Otis, 11 Mar. 1796, who m. Swain, and moved to Ohio. 

SuKEY, 23 Nov. 1797, d. unm. 3 Aug. 1828. 
Reny, 25 Nov. 1799, d. unm. 29 Jan. 1824. 

WARREN NIXON. 

Eldest son of Thomas, whom he succ. in 1843 ; b. 
Framingham, 9 Mar. 1793, d. there 4 Nov. 1872. He 
was a farmer and also a teacher ; eleven years a selectman, 
and also a Justice of the Peace. 

He m. May, 1818, Salome Rice of Wayland. Children now 
(1873) living: — 

Marcellus (now an applicant for admission to the Society) 
and three dauglUers. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 407 



Gen. William North was b. Fort Frederic, Pemaquid, 
Me., 1755 ; d. N.Y. city, 3 Jan. 1836. After his father's 
death, his mother removed with him to Boston, where he 
entered the Latin School in 1764, and was on the breaking 
out of the war employed in the counting-house of a mer- 
chant. On May 9, 1776, he was com. 2d lieut. in Gill's 
Co. of Crafts's reg. of art. ; capt. in H. Jackson's (16th) 
reg. 10 May, 1777 ; distinguished at Monmouth ; aide to 
Baron Steuben in 1779, and a favorite "of that officer, whom 
he aided in his system of disciplining the army ; and j^res- 
ent at the surrender of Cornwallis in Oct. 1781. He was 
app. inspector of the troops remaining in service in 1781 ; 
was several times elected to the Legislature of New York ; 
was speaker of the assembly ; U. S. Senator in 1798, and 
a conspicuous Federalist ; and was one of the first canal 
commissioners of New York. App. in 1798 by President 
Adams, during the quasi war with France, adjutant and 
inspector-gen. of the army, with the rank of brig. -gen. 
Baron Steuben, who " loved him like a son for his unre- 
served devotion, for his jovial and amiable disposition, and 
for his energy and zeal," made him one of his executors, 
and bequeathed to him one-half of his estate, and the sword 
and gold box given him by the city of New York. 

John North, his immigrant ancestor, b. West Meatli, Ireland, 
came to America in 1730 with his wife Lydia, and settled in Har- 
rington, at Pemaquid, Me., and d. 1740. His son, Capt. John 
(father of Gen. Wm.), came over with his father in 1730 ; removed 
to St. George's River ; was captain of Fort Frederic and Fort St. 
George's during the French and Indian war ; judge of the C. C. P. 
of Lincoln Co., app. 1760; d. 26 Mar. 1763. He m. Elizabeth 

Lewis, who d. ; 2d, 31 July, 1746, Elizabeth, dan. of James 

Pitson of Boston. She d. 24 June, 1789. 



408 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

William North m. 14 Oct. 1787, Mary, dau. of Hon. James Duane, 
who d. 11 May, 1813. Children: — 

Frederic Wm. Steuben, 14 July, 1788, d. 1789. 
Marie, 12 Aug. 1789, d. 8 June, 1812. 
James Duane, 28 Jan. 1791, d. May, 1792. 
Elizabeth, 1792, d. unm. 8 June, 1845. 

William Augustus Steuben, 1 Feb. 1793, m. in 1823 Mar- 
garet Bridged. 7 Nov. 1845 (Un. Coll. 1812), left 3 children. 
Adelia, 14 Ma)^, 1797, m. Major Henry Saunders, U. S. A. 

Com. ensign, 19 Oct. 1781 ; in Vose's (1st) reg. in 1783 ; 
settled in Belpre, O., in 1789, from western Mass. ; was 
a pensioner, living in N.Y. in 1820 ; and d. soon after- 
ward, leaving a large family. A nephew, Henry Jackson 
Oliver, was living at Broad Alban, Montgomery Co., N.Y., 
in 1827. 

He was b. near Boston, 1738 ;. d. jNIarietta, ()., in May, 
1810. His parents, who were from the north of Ireland, 
took him when quite young to Barre, where his early years 
were passed on his father's farm. He had a good educa-. 
tion, and was a teacher when the war broke out, as well 

' as a lieut. of a company of minute-men, with which he 
marched to Cambridge in Apr. 1775. Com. capt. in Doo- 
little's reg. 12 June, 1775, and present at the siege of 
Boston in James Reed's reg. in 1776 ; com. major, 1 Nov. 
1777, in Greaton's (3d) reg. ; brigade major in 1780 ; 

Javt.-col. in 1782. He was engaged in the battles with 
Burgoyne, and especially in storming the German in- 
trenchments, 7 Oct., under C-ol. Rufus Putnam, to whose 
reg. he was then attached. Celebrated as a discipli- 
narian, and for a time acted as adjutant-gen. of the 
Northern division of the army. After the war, he bought 
a farm at Conway, Mass., and volunteered in 1786-87 in 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 409 

the suppression of Shays's insurrection. In 1788 he was ^^ 
a founder of Marietta ; and in 1789, with Major Haffield 
White and Capt. John Dodge, he erected a saw and grist 
mill on Wolf Creek in Waterford, the first mills ever built 
in Ohio. He was a principal leader in this settlement, and 
active in its defence against the Indians ; was a represen- 
tative of Washington Co, in the Territorial Legislature in 
1798, and one of the five councillors ; was President of the 
Territorial Council in 1800-3 ; col. of the 2d reg. terr. 
militia ; and a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. 

He m. about 1775 Molly Walker, by whom he had a large fam- 
ily of children. His son William, b. Conway, 1771, was living in 
Wethersfield, Henry Co., 111., in 1849. 

He was b. 12 Nov. 1755 in Sharon or Litchfield, Ct. ; d. 
Newburyport, Mass., 21 Feb. 1837. He studied for a pro- 
fession. Receiving a warrant from Gov. Hancock as 2d 
lieut. in Crane's art. 7 Nov. 1781, he was com. by Con- 
gress, 17 Jan. 1782, also acting as paym. until 1783 ; and 
was afterward a merchant in Newburyport, where he held 
many municipal offices. LTp to 1833 he always attended 
the 4th of July meetings of the Society. 

He m. Jane, dan. of Matthew Perkins, and a sister of Jacob 
Perkins, the inventor. She d. 25 Oct. 18 1 5. Children: — 

Henry, 29 June, 1787, d. 1 July, 1815. 

Anne, 5 Jan. 1789, d. unm, 3 Nov, 1797. 

Benjamin, 8 Mar, 1791, d. 11 Oct, 1821. 

Nathan, 6 Dec. 1792, d. 4 Jan. 1795. 

Eben, 8 Sept. 1795, d. 28 Dec. 1818. 

Marie, 26 Sept. 1798, d. 8 Aug, 1814, 

William, 8 May, 1802, d, 8 Aug, 1802. 

Thomas, 15 Mar, 1807, d, 17 Mar. 1807. 

By his 2d wife, Mrs. Mary (Wylie) Knapp, who d. 28 Mar. 1835, 
he had — 

52 



410 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Jane Mary, 14 Jan. 1821, m. , d. 23 Jan. 1SG2. 

Henry Pardee m. in 1810 Fanny Long, dau. of Robert and Ruth 
(White) Long, grand-dau. of Judge Phillip White of N.H. She 
d. 1 July, 1814. Their child, Fanny Maria, b. 10 Oct. 1812, m. 
27 Mar. 1834, William E. Currier of Newburyport, and d. 8 Aug. 
1859. Their children were : 1. Henry Pardee ; 2. Marie Lonrj ; 
3. Lewis Aiif/usfns ; 4. Rufus Choate ; 5. Frederick G. ; 6. Fanny 
Jane ; 7. Winfeld Scott ; 8. Wallace Bruce ; 9. Georgiana Au- 
gusta ; 10. Adelaide Wilhelmina. 

JSenJatnin parser. 

Of Andover ; d. 1801. Com. lieut. in Wesson's (after- 
ward H. Jackson's 9th) reg. ; served five years, and re- 
tired 1 Jan. 1783. 

He was the son of Daniel Parker ; was b. Boston, 3 
June, 1760; d. Petersburg, Va., 8 Dec. 1798. Present 
with his brother Daniel at Bunker's Hill ; com. 2d lieut. 
in Crane's art. 13 Sept. 1777 ; 1st lieut. 2 Aug. 1780 ; in 
Vose's (1st) reg. 1781-83. After the war, he was a mer- 
chant in Petersburg, Va. Daniel, his bro. (H. U. 1773), 
d. Salem, Mass., in Dec. 1821. He was a 2d lieut. in 
Knox's art. 1776 ; was afterward in Brooks's (Tth) reg., 
and subsequently taught a grammar school in Salem. 

His descent from John ^ Parker, of Biddeford, England, one of 
the comp. of Richard Vines who took lands at the mouth of the 
Saco River, purchased in 1650 of the Indian Sagamore, Robert 
Hood, " Parker's Island," at the mouth of tbe Kennebec, d. in 1C60, 
was through John,- b. 1034, killed by the Indians at Casco in 1690, 
who bought of tlie Indians in 1059 a large tract of land on the west 
side of the Jvennebee, including what is now Phipsburg (his father 
his wife, and bro. were all killed by the Indians) ; Daniel,^ b. 1667, 
d. 1694, who moved to Charlestown ; Isaac,^ b. 1692, d. 1742; 
Dcuiiel^ (his fatlier), b. 1726, d. 1785, wdio removed during the 
Revol. war to Salem, and who m. Margaret Jarvis. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 411 

ISAAC PARKER, LL.D. 

Brother of Elias, whom he siicc. in 1830 ; b. Boston, 17 
June, 1768. He was the eighth son of Daniel and jNlar- 
garet (Jarvis) Parker ; gracl. at H. U. in 1786 ; studied 
kiw in the office of Judge Tudor ; settled as a lawyer suc- 
cessively in Castine, Portland (1801), and in (1806) Bos- 
ton ; was a member of Congress from Maine in 1797-99 ; 
U. S. Marshal for that district, 1797-1801 ; President Mass. 
Constitutional Convention, 1820, and took a spirited part 
in its debates when in committee of the whole ; Professor 
of Law in H. U. 1816-27 ; Judge Supreme Court of 
Mass. 1806-14 ; and Chief Justice from 1814 to his death, 
26 July, 1830. He was a member of many of the societies 
in and about Boston, the American Academy, the Bible 
Society, and others, and was always willing to perform his 
share of the labor incident to such offices. " For more 
than a quarter of a century he was one of the most influ- 
ential men in the Commonwealth of Mass. This influence 
was noiseless and constant : it was found in the temples of 
justice, the halls of legislation, in the seminaries of learn- 
ing, at the ballot-boxes, on 'Change, in the social circle, — 
everywhere. He had genius without eccentricity, and 
learning without pedantry. In him firmness was united 
to flexibility, and delicacy with decision." He received 
the honorary degree of LL.D. from H. U. in 1814. He 
m. Rebecca Hall of Boston, and had Edward W. and 
seven other children. 

EDWARD WILLIAM PARKER. 

Eldest son of Isaac, whom he succ. in 1831 ; b. Castine, 
Me., 5 May, 1795 ; resides at Hyde Park, Mass. He has a 
son, James G., in California. 



■412 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

He was the sou of Capt. John Patorson ; was b. Farm- 
ington, Ct., 1743 ; d. Lisle, Broome Co., N.Y., 19 July, 
1808 ; Y. C. 17G2. He was a practising attorney, and 
Justice of the Peace ; and about 1771 moved with his wife's 
father, Deacon Josiah Lee, to Lenox, Mass. ; member of 
the Provincial Congress of 1774-75. The news of the 
battle of Lexington reached Berkshire at noon the next 
day, and at sunrise tlie following morning Paterson's reg. 
of minute-men Avas on the way to Cambridge, where it 
was emplo3^ed in constructing the first redoubt thrown up 
on the lines about Boston. On the day of the Bunker's 
Hill battle, his reg. defended Fort No. 3 in Charlestown, 
a work of their own construction. After the evacuation 
of Boston* Col. Paterson was ordered to Canada, where 
a part of his reg. was engaged in the disastrous affair of 
the Cedars ; after the retreat from Canada, the reg. joined 
Washington just in time to take part in the battles of 
Trenton and Princeton. He was com. brig.-gen. 21 Feb. 
1777 ; was distinguished at Saratoga and at Monmouth ; was 
a member of the board of officers that tried Major Andre, 
and remained in service to the close of the war. Dur- 
ing Shays's rebellion, 1786-87, Gen. Paterson headed a 
detachment of the Berkshire militia, ordered out for its 
Broome Co., N.Y., he became Chief Justice of the County 
suppression. Subse(i[uently, removing to Binghampton, 
Court ; was four ^-ears a member of the Assembly ; mem- 
ber of the State Constitutional Convention of 1801 ; 
member of Congress, 1803-5 ; and was Vice-Pres. of the 
Mass. Soc. Cin. in 178o-8G. 

He m. 176G, Elizabeth Lee. They had — 

JosiAH Lee, 8 Oct. 17G6, m. Jan. 1788, Clarissa, dau. of Geu. 
Caleb Hyde. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 413 

Hannah, m. Eggleston. 

Polly, cL S. Carolina, unm. 

Ruth, Aug. 1774, m. 14 Nov. 1797, Ira Seymour of Lisle. 
Betsey, d. unm. 

John Piekce, 5 May, 1787, m. 16 Sept. 1809, Sally Osborn. 
Maria, 1789, m. Apr. 1808, Samuel Kilborn of Spencerport, 
N.Y. 

He was b. Bedford, Mass., 7 Dec. 1742 ; d. 1829. Pres- 
ent at Bunker's Hill ; com. lieut. in Alden's (afterward 
Brooks's 7th) reg. ; and was in the battles with Burgoyne, 
and in Sullivan's expedition against the Indians in northern 
N.Y. His first wife, Elizabeth Pearl, m. 9 Feb. 1764, d. 
11 Mar. 1776 ; his second, Sarah Pearl, m. 18 Mar. 1780, 
d. Feb. 1847. 

Joiju Inciter. 

He was the son of Isaac and Mary (Hardy) Peirce ; b. 
Boston, 28 Sept. 1750 ; d. unm. at Fort McHenry, Walnut 
Hills, near Vicksburg, Miss., 22 July, 1798, of a climatic 
disease, contracted while in garrison at Fort Adams, left 
bank of the Mississippi River, at which place he had been 
for some time stationed. Com. lieut. in Knox's art. in 1776 ; 
2d lieut. in Callender's Co. Crane's art. 12 Sept. 1777 ; 
capt.-lieut. 12 Sept. 1778, serving in Rhode Island. He 
saw much active service, commencing with the siege of 
Boston and ending only with the close of the war in 1783. 
Re-entering the service of his country under the Confed- 
eration, he was com. lieut. 1 May, 1787 ; lieut. of art. 29 
Sept. 1789 ; capt. Oct. 1791. Isaac Peirce, his bro. (b. 25 
Dec. 1753, d. 27 Feb. 1781), was aide-de-camp to Major- 
Gen. Gates, with the rank of major. His youngest bro., 

* Did not contribute his montli's pay to the Society. 



414 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Hardy Peirce (h. 20 July, 1756), was a Kent, in Knox's 
art., and was killed at Fort Lee, 5 Nov. 1776. 

His descent from Thomas,^ of Charlestown, 1634, freeman G May, 
1635, d. 7 Oct. 1666, jc. 83, and wife Elizabeth, was through Thomas,^ 
b. Eng., who was in Woburn as early as 1G43, many years select- 
man of W., and styled " Sargent Thomas Peirce," d. 6 Nov. 1683, 
who m. Elizabeth (d. 5 Mar. 1688) ; Samuel,^ b. 7 Apr. 1656, free- 
man 1684, who m. 9 Dec. 1680, Lydia Bacon; Isaac,* b. Boston, 
22 Mar. 1687, a freeman and entitled Esq., m. 5 May, 1708, Grace, 
dau. of Lewis Tucker of Casco ; Isaac ^ (his father), b. Boston, 12 
Oct. 1722, d. there 11 Dec. 1811, who m. 5 Jan. 1745, Mary Hardy 
of Salem, and had 8 children. 

JOSEPH PEIRCE. 

Eldest brother of John, whom he sncc. in 1808 ; b. Bos- 
ton, 25 Dec. 1745 (the North Church, P)Oston, chime of 
bells was first rung Christmas Day, 1745) ; d. there 1 Jan. 
1828 ; Boston Latin School, 1756. Boston gave to the 
cause of the Revolution no family more patriotic, devoted, 
and self-sacrificing, than that of Isaac Peirce, 2d, and his 
four sons here noticed. Joseph, tlie elder, was a promi- 
nent merchant of the town, a man of great integrity, and 
possessed considerable influence with his fellow-citizens. 
Feeble health and a 3'oung and increasing famih^ prevented 
his taking an active part in the struggle for liberty, Avhich, 
however, received the aid both of his purse and his influ- 
ence. From his store on the north side of State Street he 
witnessed the " Massacre " of 5 Mar. 1770. Li connection 
with the sufferings of the inhabitants of Boston during the 
siege, he often spoke of the fact that rats were eaten occa- 
sionally to appease hunger. He was the founder of the 
Provincial "(rrcnadier" corps, and its commander on the 
occasion of its first parade, 8 June, 1772 ; Henry Knox, 
afterward major-gen. and Secretary of War, being second 
in command. The s})lendid uniform, military appearance, 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 415 

drill, and efficiency of this corps, are of traditional renown. 
It elicited the commendation of the British officers then 
in Boston, and received the special notice of Gov. Gage 
on his public entry into Boston in May, 1774. He was 
the friend and correspondent of Gen. Knox, with whom 
he was afterward associated in the proprietorship of large 
tracts of land in Maine. Knox's letters to him were, un- 
fortunately, lost in 1811, by the burning of a store in which 
they were deposited. 

Mt. Peirce, from his personal acquaintance with the 
leaders of the Revolution and the principal officers of 
the army, and having himself participated in the early 
events of the contest, was, in his old age, full of remin- 
iscences and anecdotes relating to them ; and was, conse- 
quently, a most interesting and instructive companion. 
His son, Joseph Hardy Peirce, succ. him in the Society 
in 1828, but omitted to qualify himself by making the 
usual declaration. He was b. Boston, 8 Mar. 1773 ; Avas 
a merchant and supercargo, and made several foreign 
voyages ; was Secretary of the Board of War of Mass. in 
1812-14; clerk of the Municipal Court, 1816-30; agent 
of Mass. for claims against the General Government, 
growing out of the war of 1812 ; and was lost at sea, 
while on the passage from New York to Mobile and New 
Orleans, in Dec. 1831. 

Joseph m. 6 Apr. 1771, Ann, dan. of Col. Thomas Dawes. Chil- 
dren : — 

Joseph Hardy. 

Ann, 11 Aug. 1774, d. 10 Oct. 1800, m. Rev. John Lathrop, 
D.D., of Boston, whose dau., Ann Peirce, m. Thomas Motley. 
They were the parents of Hon. J. Lothrop INIotley. 
Hanxah Daaves, 3 Jan. 1783, m. Thos. P. Kettell, d. 1856. 
Elizabeth Somes, 25 Oct. 1787, m. Fitch Pool Putnam. 
Maria Peirce, Oct. 1789. 



416 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Children of Joseph Hardy and Frances Temple (Cordis) Peirce 
(m. Dec. 1701): — 

Joseph, 9 May, 1792, d. 3 Sept. 1823. 

Frances, 17 Jan. 1794, m. 24 Oct. 1810, Henry Gray, d. 22 Mar. 
1830. 

Delia, 16 Feb. 1796, m. 1851, Gen. J. L. C. Amee. 

Marcia, 29 Ai)r. 1797, m. Tlios. Blanchard (celeb, inventor), d. 
15 Nov. 1861. 

Marcus TuIUus, 17 May, 1799, m. 28 Apr. 1830, Sarah C. E. 
Wood, d. 17 Apr. 1833. 

Constantius, 9 May, 1801, m. 25 Nov. 1823, Mary Steer, d. 
while a captain of volunteers in the Texan war of indepen- 
dence. 

Isaac, 21 Jan. 1803, d. 1863. 

Laura, 28 Apr. 1804, m. 6 Sept. 1825, Capt. S. M. Holland. 

Ann, 30 Apr. 1805, m. 22 Sept. 1835, E. A. West. 

Mar^j Elizabeth, 31 Mar. 1807, m. E. F. Hall. 

Henry A. 

John, 6 Aug. 1812, m. . 

Harcbj, 21 Mar. 1814, d. 1 May, 1838. 

HENRY AUGUSTUS PEIRCE. 

Son of Joseph Hardy, and grandson of Joseph Peh-ce, 
Avhom he succ. in 1856 ; b. Dorchester, Mass., 15 Dec. 1808. 
Educated at the public schools of Boston, excepting for a 
period of about one year while a member of Mr. Gideon 
F. Thayer's school. In Oct. 1824, at the age of sixteen, he 
embarked in the " Griffin," commanded by his brother 
Marcus T. Peirce for a voyage to the N. W. coast, a 
country now known as the Territory of Alaska, where he 
was engaged in tlie fur trade until the year 1829, when he 
sailed for Honolulu, where he resided as a merchant until 
his return to Boston, with a moderate fortune, in 1842. 
Here he became an extensive merchant and ship-owner, 
engaged in commerce with the Hawaiian Islands, Russian 
settlements in Asia, California, jNIanila, and China. Dur- 
incT the civil war he encountered severe losses ; and in 1867, 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 417 

having, withdrawn in a great measure from business, he 
settled in Yazoo Co., Miss., as a cotton planter. Owing to 
unj^ropitious seasons, and also to unfortunate speculations 
in the cotton market, he lost nearly all the remainder of 
a once large fortune, accumulated by so much of toil and 
enterprise. Through the interest of Hon. Hamilton Fish, 
President Gen. of the Soc. and Secretary of State of the 
U. S., he was in May, 1869, app. U. S. Minister, resident at 
Honolulu, Hawaiian Isles, in which capacity and place he 
now resides. Assist. Treas. of the Soc. since 1865. 

He m. 5 July, 1838, Susan R. Thompsou. Childreu : — 
Ella Augusta, 3 Oct. 1839, m. Frederick Clapp of Green- 
field, Mass. 
Henky Makcus, 23 Nov. 1846. 

He was b. Groton, Mass., 27 July, 1750 ; d. Peter- 
borough, N.H., 22 Nov. 1809. Com. capt. in M. Jackson's 
(8th) reg. 5 Dec. 1779 ; wounded in the left arm, and 
afterward a pensioner. He m. Hannah, dau. of Gen. 
Henry Woods, of Pepperell. 

He was b. Boston, 1742 ; was a mechanic, and before the 
Revolution was a member of Paddock's Art. Co., in which 
Avere trained many valuable officers in that branch of the 
service. At the battle of Bunker's Hill he was a lieut. 
in Callender's Co., of which, after the court-martial and 
temporary disgrace of that l)rave officer, he was made cap- 
tain. Com. capt. in Knox's reg. of art. 1 Jan. 1776 ; in 
Crane's reg. of art. 1 Jan. 1777 ; com. major of the same, 
12 Sept. 1778 ; served through the war, and present at the 

53 



418 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

siege of Boston ; stationed at " Grenadiers "battery, N.Y., 
in June, 1776 ; at Harlem Heights in Oct. 1776 ; at Peek's 
and Fish Kill, Dec. 1776 ; Whitemarsh, Nov. 1777 ; Val- 
ley Forge, 1777-78 ; in Sullivan's R.I. campaign, 1778 ; 
in charge of the park of artillery and military stores at 
Providence, Nov. 1779 — fall of 1781; and afterward at 
West Point. On Nov. 10, 1785, he was app. to the com- 
mand of the Castle in Boston Harbor, then belonging to 
the State of Mass., and continued in command with rank 
of lieut.-col. until its cession in 1798 to the U. S. Col. 
Perkins d. of yellow fever at Boston, 27 Oct. 1802. 

His descent from Edmund'^ Perkins, of Boston, 1675, who d. ab. 
1 693, and wife Susannah, widow of John Howlett, dau. of Francis 
Hudson, was through Edmund,^ b. 6 Sept. 1683, who m. Mary Far- 
ris ; William^ (his fother), and Elizabeth, dau. of William Palfrey 
of P>oston. He m. 20 Dec. 1763, Abigail Cox. Children : — 
William, lost at sea ab. 1792 ; no issue. 
Samuel. 

Abigail, m. Benj. Weld of Boston, d. Brunswick, Me. 
IClizabeih, d. unm. at Brighton, Mass. 
Ann, b. Providence, R.I., m. Samuel Rogers of Boston, d. 

Brighton, Mass. 
Henry, b. Boston, d. at sea ; no issue. 
Charles .Tames, b. Boston, 17 June, 1784, d. Rio Janeiro, 26 

Aug. 1817 ; no issue. 
La Fayette, b. Castle Island, Boston Harbor, 26 Mar. 1786, 
M.D. (II. U. 1814), m. Dorcas, dau. of Benj. Abbot, 30 Dec. 
1817 ; had six children. 

SAMUEL PERKINS. 

Eldest son of Col. William, whom he succ. in 1804 ; 
Assist. Treas. 1835-41 ; Treas. 1841-45 ; b. Boston, 2 Sept. 
1770; d. Roxbury, Mass., 1 Aug. 1846. When about 
thirteen yeai's old he became an apprentice to Major John 
Johnston, portrait painter ; and at nineteen began the paint- 
ing business, chiefly on houses and ships, and continued it 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 419 

till abovit 1815, when he undertook to paint carpets. He 
built a large factory for this business in Roxbury, which he 
carried on for some years. President of the Mass. Char- 
itable Mechanics' Asso. in 1825 and 1826. 

Samuel Perkins m. 16 May, 1793, Elizabeth, dau. of Nathaniel 
Call of Boston, and had five sons, four of whom d. without issue, 
and six daughters. 

WILLIAM PERKINS. 

Eldest son of Samuel, whom he succ. in 1847 ; Treas. 
of the Soc. since that date ; b, Boston, 4 Oct. 1804 ; re- 
sides in that city, where he has long been a prominent and 
successful merchant. 

He m. 2 Nov. 1835, Catharine Callender, dau. of John Amor}' ot 
Dorchester. Children : — 

James Amory, 9 Jidy, 1836, H. U. 1856, 1st lieut. 24th Mass. 

Vols., killed at Morris Island, S.C, 26 Aug. 1863 ; no issue. 
William Edavard, 23 Mar. 1838. 
Robert Shaw, 6 July, 1842, d. 8 June, 1873. 
Helen Amory, 25 May, 1846. 

ANDREW P. PERRY. 
Grandson of Poladore Hamlin, and great-grandson of 
Africa Hamhn, whom he succ. in 1872 ; a teacher ; re- 
sides in Boston. 

i^ntrcciD Jitters. 

He was b. Medfield, Mass., 24 Jan. 1742 ; d. West- 
borough, Mass., 5 Feb. 1822. He enlisted from Mendon 
as capt. in Col. Joseph Read's reg. in May, 1775 ; com. 
major in Bailey's (2d) reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; com.- lieut.-col. 
of Bigelow's (15th) reg. 1 July, 1779 ; present at the 
siege of Boston, invasion of Canada, surrender of Bur- 
goyne, and continued in service until 1 Jan. 1781. 

He m. 30 Mar. 1768, Beulah Lovett. Children (all b. in Men- 
don) : — 



420 BIOGEAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

LovETT. Silvia, 8 Nov. 1783. 

Daniel, 27 July, 1770. Hannah, 14 Mar. 1786. 

Sibyl, 4 Sept. 1772. 

LOYETT PETERS. 

Eldest son of Col. Andrew, whom he succ. m 1824 ; b. 
Mendon, Mass., 19 Jan. 1769 : d. Westborough, 15 Jan. 
1863. 

He m. Mary Plympton, and had — 
Beulah Lovett, 2 Apr. 1797. 
Andrew, 11 Mar. 1799, d. iinm. 11 Apr. 1840. 
Augustus, 7 Nov. 1800, d. Brookfield, Mass., 1847, m. at Roches- 
ter, N.Y., Oct. 1830, Lucy Pollard, and had John Lovett. 
Onslow, 1 Mar. 1802. 
Mart Plympton, 26 May, 1804. 
William, 5 Mar. 1807. 
Daniel, 9 Nov. 1808. 
John, 26 Dec 1810. 

JOHN LOVETT PETERS. 

Son of Augustus, and grandson of Lovett, whom he 
succ. in 1866 ; b. Detroit, Mich., 11 Jnl3% 1831 ; resides in 
Worcester, Mass. 

He m. 29 Dec. 1859, Mary Frances Eddy. Children : — 
William Curtis, b.N. Brookfield, Mass., 10 Feb. 18G1. 
John Eddy, b. Worcester, Mass., 17 Oct. 1866. 
Lewis ArorsTUs, 22 July. 1869. 

Josrpij Jlfttntflin. 

Com. ensign in Scamman's (afterward E. Phinney's) 
York reg. in May, 1775, and present at the siege of Bos- 
ton ; capt. in L. Bakhvin's reg. 1775-76, and in the opera- 
tions in N.Y., and battles of Trenton and Princeton ; 
com. major in Wesson's (0th) reg. 26 July, 1779 ; in 
Vose's reg. 1781-83 : and died soon after the war. 




y^y^^/Zl^ iy^^/^^ 




CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 421 

Com. ensign in H. Jackson's (16th) reg. 1777 ; com. 
1st lieiit. 14 Oct. 1781 ; aide-de-camp to Gen. Paterson, 
and com. capt. 30 Sept. 1783 ; received half pay on 
account of wounds. He m. Feb. 1789, at Charleston, S.C., 
Susannah Frances Barksdale, and d. 7 Jan. 1810, at Spring 
Island, S.C. 

Com. lieut. in Wigglesworth's (13th) reg. 22 Oct. 1777 ; 
served in SulHvan's R.I. campaign, and wounded there 
(1778) ; in Mellen's (3d) reg. in 1783. He d. Baltimore, 
Md., in Sept. 1827, se. 80, leaving a widow who survived 
him nearly 30 years. His dau. Mrs. Eliza Spinola was 
hving in N.Y. in 1850. 

Com. lieut. 20 June, 1777, in H. Jackson's (16th) reg., 
and considered by him " one of the best officers in the 
line ; " in Mellen's (3d) reg. 1783 ; app. capt. 2d U. S. 
Inf. 4 Mar. 1791 ; killed, 4 Nov. 1791, in the battle under 
Gen. St. Clair with the Miami Indians. 

JOHN PICKERING, LL.D. 

He was b. Salem, Mass., 17 Feb. 1777. His father, Col. 
Timothy Pickering, an original member of the Pa. Soc, was 
b. in that town, 17 July, 1745 ; d. there 29 Jan. 1829 ; H. U. 
1763. Admitted to the bar in 1768, he became the champion 
and leader of the Whigs of Essex Co., and first opposed 
an armed resistance to the British troops when (26 Feb. 
1775) he, while a col. of militia, at the drawbridge in 
Salem prevented their crossing to seize some military 
stores. In 1775 he was app. a judge of C. C. P. for 
Essex Co., and sole judge of the Maritime Court for the 



422 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

middle district. Joining- Washington in N.J. in the fall 
of 1776 with his reg., he was in May, 1777, made adj. -gen. 
of the army ; was made a member of the Board of War in 
Nov., and succeeded Greene as quarterm.-gen. 5 Aug. 1780. 
After the war he resided in Philadelphia, and in 1786 was 
sent by the goyernment to adjust a controversy between 
various claimants to the Wyoming settlement, in the course 
of which he was very roughly handled. He favored the 
adoption of the Federal Constitution in the Pa. Convention : 
was postmaster-gen. of the U. S. 7 Nov. 1791 — 2 Jan. 
1795 ; Secretary of War, Jan. — 10 Dec. 1795 ; Secre- 
tary of State, 10 Dec. 1795 — 12 May, 1800; returned to 
Salem at the close of 1801 : U. S. Senator, 1803-11 ; mem- 
ber of the Board of War of Mass. during the war of 
1812-15; and M. C. 1815-17. He was a leader of the 
Federal party in the U. S., a member of the Constitu- 
tional Convention of Pa. in 1790, and was active in pro- 
moting the cause of education. He M^as a talented writer, 
a brave and patriotic soldier, and a disinterested, able, and 
energetic public officer. Plain and unassuming in manner, 
he excelled in conversation. 

John Pickering, distinguished as a writer on law and 
philology, studied law in Phila. ; was in 1797 app. Secre- 
tary of Legation to Portugal ; was two years in London as 
private secretary to Rufus King, U. S. Minister ; and prac- 
tised law in Salem from 1801 to 1827, when he settled in 
Boston, where he was City Solicitor from 1829 until his 
death, 5 May, 1846. Though he had a large practice, his 
great industry and economy in the use of time made 
him one of the most profound scholars of the country 
and even of the age. He \yas three times representative 
from Salem, twice a senator from Essex and once from 
Suffolk Co., and was a member of the Executive Coun- 
cil. In 1883 he v.'as a member of the connuission for 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 423 

revising the Statutes of Mass. In 1806 he was elected 
Hancock Prof, of Hebrew in H. U., and at a later day 
was invited to the chair of Greek Literature. President 
of the Amer. Acad, of Arts and Sciences, and of the 
Oriental Soc. of Boston, and a member of many scientific 
and literary bodies in Europe. In 1843 he was admitted 
a member of the Mass. Soc. of Cin. He was the author 
of numerous treatises upon philology, being more or less 
familiar with twenty-two different languages. His prin- 
cipal work was a Greek and English Lexicon, begun in 
1814, but not finished until 1826. 

His descent from John ^ Pickering^ of Ipswich in 1634, of Salem 
in 1637, b. Eng. ab. 1615, d. ab. 1655, and his wife Elizabeth, was 
through John^ who d. 5 May, 16!J4, se. 56, who m. 1657, Alice, 
dau. of Wm. Flint; John^ b. 10 Sept. 1658, d. 19 June, 1722, and 

wife Sarah ; Deacon Timothy^ d. 7 June, 1778, ib. 75, his wife 

d. 1784; Col. Timothy^ {\ih f-ither), who m. 8 Apr. 1776, 

Rebecca, dau. of Benjamin White of Boston. He m. Sarah White. 
Children : — 

Mary Orne. John. Henry WnrrE. 

JOHN PICKERING. 

Eldest son of John, whom he succ. in 1867 ; has been for 
many years a stockbroker in Boston ; resides in Salem. 

JScnjamin pCcrce. 

He was b. Chelmsford, Mass., 25 Dec. 1757. Losing his 
father when he was but six years of age, he labored on 
the farm of his Uncle Robert until Apr. 25, 1775, when 
he enlisted in Ford's Co. of Bridge's reg. and was in the 
battle of Bunker's Hill. Orderly-serg. of M. Jackson's 
(8th) reg., he was promoted ensign for gallantry at Bemis's 
Heights, 7 Oct. 1777, and was com. lieut. 7 July, 1782. 
He was, while a prisoner in N.Y., grossly insulted by a 
British officer, whom he ran through the body in a duel, 



424 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

after the evacuation of tliat city. In 1786 he commenced 
clearing land for a farm in the valley of the Contocook 
River, N.H. ; was a representative to the General Court 
in 1789-1802 ; successively major, col., and (in 1805) 
brigadier-gen. of militia ; member of the Council, 1803-9 
and 1814-18; sheriff of Hillsborough, 1809-14 and 
1818-23 ; Gov. of N.H. in 1827 and 1829 ; Vice-Pres. of 
the Mass. Soc. Cin. from 1836 to his death at Hillsborough, 
N.H., 1 Apr. 1839. 

His descent from Thomas,^ of Woburn, 1643, many years select- 
man of W., and styled " Sargent Thomas Peirce," b. Eng., d. 6 Nov. 
1G83, who m. Elizabeth (d. 5 Mar. 1G88), was through Stephen,^ 
b. 16 July, 1651, who settled at Chelmsford, and his wife Tabitha ; 
Stephen,^ one of the purchasers of Woualancet's possessions, south- 
west of the Merrimac, known as Wamesit, on which he afterward 
settled ; Benjamin* (his father), of whose 10 children he was the 
7th. He m. 24 May, 1787, Elizabeth, dau. of Isaac Andrews, 
who d. 13 Aug. 1788, as. 20. He m. 2d, in 1789, Anna, dau. of 
Benjamin Ivendrick of Amherst. She d. Dec. 1838, dn. 70. 
Children : — 

Elizabeth Andrews, m. Gen. John McNeil, d. Mar. 1855. 

Benjamin K. 

Nancy M., m. Gen. Solomon McNeil, d. 27 Apr. 1837, se. 44. 

John Sullivan, lieut. in the war of 1812, d. Detroit, 1825. 

Harriet B., m. Hugh Jameson of Boston, d. 24 Nov. 1837, 
ge. 37. 

Charles Grandison, d. Utica, N.Y., 5 June, 1828, a?.. 25. 

Franklin. Charlotte, d. in infancy. 

Henry Dearborn, 19 Sept. 1812. 

BENJAMIN KENDRICK PIERCE. 

Eldest son of Gen. Benjamin, whom he succ. in 1841 ; b. 
Hillsborough, N.H., 21 Aug. 1790 ; d. N.Y. city, 1 Apr. 1850. 
App. 1st lieut. 3d U. S. artillery, 12 Mar. 1812 ; capt. Oct. 
1817 ; major, 1 Oct. 1823 ; 1st art. 11 June, 1836 ; brevet 
lieut.-col. for distinguished service at Fort Drane, Florida, 
in which he commanded, 21 Aug. 1836 ; colonel of a reg. of 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 425 

Creek moimted vols, in Fla. war, 29 Oct. 1836; lieut.-col. 
1st art. 19 Mar. 1842. 

FRANKLIN PIERCE. 

Son of Gen. Benjamin and bro. of Col. B. K. Pierce, 
whom he succ. in 1852; b. Hillsborough, N.H., 23 Nov. 
1804; d. Concord, N.H., 8 Oct. 1869; Bowd. Coll. 1824. 
He studied law under Levi Woodbury ; was admitted to 
the bar in 1827 ; practised first at Hillsborough, and about 
1838 removed to Concord. In 1833-37 he was a member 
of Congress ; was a U. S. Senator in 1837-42 ; refused the 
offices of Attorney-Gen. and Secretary of War tendered 
him by President Polk ; vigorously supported the annexa- 
tion of Texas ; was appointed col. 16th U. S. Inf. 1846 ; 
brig. -gen. 3 Mar. 1847 ; joined the army of Gen. Scott in 
the valley of Mexico, and was severel}' injured by the fall 
of his horse upon his leg, 19 Aug. 1847. In the winter of 
1850-51 he presided over the N.H. Constitutional Con- 
vention. Nominated by the Democratic Convention at 
Baltimore, he was chosen President of the U. S. for the 
term of 4 Mar. 1853-57, receiving 254 electoral votes to 
42 for his Whig competitor Gen. Scott. His administra- 
tion was signalized by the acquisition from Mexico of 
Arizona ; the orgaidzatioa of the Territories of Kansas and 
Nebraska, by which the Missouri Compromise Act was 
repealed ; and by the troubles in Kansas caused by the 
efforts to make of it a slave state. The latter part of his 
life he passed in the practice of law at Concord. He m. 
Jane Means, dau. of Rev. Jesse Appleton. Henry Dear- 
born Pierce, his bro., is now (1873) an applicant for 
admission to his place in the Society. 

54 



426 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 



JOSIAH PIERCE, JR. 

Of Portland, Me.; was admitted in 1859 under the rule 
adopted in May, 1854. His maternal grandfather Arche- 
laus Lewis of Westbrook, Me., enlisted as a sergeant in 
Jonas Sawyer's Co. of E. Phinney's reg. in Apr. 1775; 
was com. ensign (same reg.) 1 Feb. 1776 ; present at the 
siege of Boston ; promoted to lieut. 18 Apr. 1770 ; was 
lieut. and adjutant in Vose's (1st) reg. from 1 Jan. 1777, 
till his resignation, 20 Feb. 1779 ; and was a member Mass. 
Legislature from Falmouth in 1801. 

JJcnjamtn l^itxt. 

Of Douglass, Mass. ; was an ensign and afterward lieut. 
in Joseph Read's (13th) reg. at the siege of Boston ; cap- 
tain in Nixon's (6th) reg., com. 16 Oct. 1780, disbanded 
1 Jan. 1788. He removed before 1788 to Pittstown, N.Y. 

Ksaac pope. 

Of Medford ; was a lieut. in Cotton's (Plymouth) reg. 
in May, 1775 ; com. captain in Shepard's (4th) reg. 1 Jan., 
1777; com. major of 8d reg. 12 Oct. 1782; d. Wells, Me., 
in June, 1820, se. 80, leaving a widow Olive, who in 1827 
was li\ing at the age of 80. 

He was of Welsh ancestry; b. Boston, 1748; d. Mai- 
den, Mass., 8 May, 1827. Before the war he was a tailor, 
and a member of Paddock's Artillery Company ; was a cap- 
tain of artillery in Gridley's regiment, and in the battle of 
Bunker's Hill and siege of Boston ; com. captain in Knox's 
artillery, 4 Jan. 1776, and in the battle of White Plains ; 
com. major in Greaton's (3d) reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; aide to 
Gen. Lincoln at Saratoga ; and com. lieut.-col. of Crane's 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 427 

artillery reg. 15 July, 1777, in which he continued until 
disbanded in 1783. After the war, he removed to Bolton, 
Worcester Co., Mass., where he kept a store and also 
carried on a farm, — both unsuccessfull3^ Losing his first 
wife, Rebecca SnelUng, about 1794, he afterward married 
Mrs. Sarah Sargent, a niece of Rev. Ehakim Willis of 
Maiden, in which place he resided till his death. He 
was an inspector of customs in Boston, and walked from 
Maiden and back every day except Sunday, from 1789 
until after he was 84 years old. 

His children were — 

John Snellixg. 

William, b. 1783, H. U. 1803, taught school and preached, and 

d. early in 1827. 
Ebenezer Willis, idiotic. 

REV. JOHN SNELLING POPKIN, D.D. 

Eldest son of Col. John, whom he sacc. in 1827 : b. 
Boston, 19 June, 1771 ; d. Cambridge, Mass., 2 Mar. 1852 ; 
H. U. 1792 ; Greek tutor at Harv. Univ. 1795-98 ; Pro- 
fessor of Greek, 1815-26 ; Eliot Professor of Gr^ek Lit- 
erature, 1826-33, and received the honorary de^^ree of 
D.D. from that University in 1815 ; pastor of the Federal 
St. (Unitarian) Church, Boston, 1799-1802 ; and of the 
First Church, Newbury, 1804-15. 

JSnilamiu JJoutis porter. 

He was the son of Major Billy Porter ; was b. Beverly, 
Mass., 20 Sept. 1763; d. Camden, Me., 18 Aug. 1847. 
After completing his academical course at Byfield Acad- 
emy, he studied medicine with his uncle Dr. Jones, a sur- 
geon in the continental army ; was com. surgeon's mate in 
Tupper's (11th) reg. 10 Apr. 1780 ; in H. Jackson's (4th) 
reg. in 1783 ; afterward practised medicine successively 



428 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

in Scarboro', Westbrook, and Portland, Me. ; and became 
a partner with Hon. William King in the lumbering busi- 
ness in Topsham, whence, in the fall of 1829, he removed 
to Camden, Me. He sustained severe losses in consequence 
of the embargo, and b}^ the freshet of 1814 on the Andro- 
scoggin River. Prior to this, he was one of the Governor's 
council, and was also senator from Lincoln County. Dr. 
Porter was a man of rare conversational powers and great 
suavity of manners. Honorary A.M. of Bowd. Coll. 1809 ; 
Fellow and Treasurer, 1806-15. 

He m. Elizabeth L., sister of Hon. Eufns and Hon. William King, 
and had six children, of whom were — 
Hon. Charles R., of Bath. 
RuFUS J. King of^ Kingfield, Me. 
Bkn.tamin Jones, postmaster of Camden, Me., in ISi'iU. 

Of Sterling ; b. 1752, d. 1844. Com. ensign in Bigelow's 
(15th) reg. 1 Jan. 1777; com. lieut. 1 Mar. 1779; lieut. 
in Drew's Co. of Shepard's (4th) reg. 1 Sept. 1781 — 31 
Dec. 1782; in H. Jackson's (4th) reg. in 1783. His 
dan. Betsey m. Keyes. 

,rc)EL PRATT. 

Eldest son of Joel, whom he succ. in 1845 ; b. Sterling, 
Mass., 2 Mar. 1789. d. there 13 Sept. 1868. His only son, 
Major James A. Pratt, d. 14 Dec. 1870, a^. 43. There are 
several grandchild ven now living, one of whom bears his 
name. Joel Pratt. 

Joijn J^ras- 

He was com. ensign of Silas Weld's Co. in E. Phin- 
ney's reg. 1 Apr. 1776 ; lieut. in Bigelow's (15th) reg. in 
Sullivan's Rhode Island campaign in 1778 ; com. captain, 5 
July, 1779. in Sprout's (12th) reg. ; app. to command of 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 429 

Block House at Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., 11 Mar. 1781. He 
joined the New York Society by transfer, and d. in N.Y. 
city in Sept. 1812. 

WILLIAM PITT PREBLE. 

Son of Hon. Wm. Pitt Preble and Nancy Gale, dau. of 
Lieut. Joseph Tucker, whom he succ. in 1845; b. Port- 
land, Me., 19 Apr. 1819; is a lawyer; clerk of the U. S. 
District Court, Portland, and a prominent mason. 

He m. 1 July, 1846, Harriet M. T Mussey. Children : — 
Henry, 25 Apr. 1853. Wallace, 17 Aug. 1857. 

William Pitt, 1 Oct. 1854. Earnest, 5 June, 1860. 

He was the son of Dr. Jonathan and Mary (Vassall) 
Prescott, b. Halifax, N.S., 6 Jan. 1762, d. Great Barring- 
ton, Mass., 1852, being the last survivor of the original 
members of the Mass. Society, of which he was Vice-Presi- 
dent in 1846-49. He was for a few years at school in Bos- 
ton, then at Ncav Haven, and subsequently at Esopus on the 
Hudson River. Entering the General Army Hospital as 
a student of Dr. Brown, he was at the age of seventeen 
appointed hospital mate. He was in the action at Ticon- 
deroga, and in Sullivan's expedition against the Indians 
in 1779 ; was com. surgeon's mate in 1781, and served two 
years in Gen. Greene's army in the Carolinas. After the 
war, he practised medicine in Halifax, N.S. 

His descent from John ^ Prescott, of Boston and W^atei-town, 
1640, and Mary Platts, was through Captain Jonathan j- b. Water- 
town ab. 1643, d. 5 Dec. 1721, who m. (2d) Elizabeth, dau. of 
John Hoar of Concord, 23 Dec. 1 675 ; Dr. Jonathan,^ b. 5 Apr. 
1677, d. 28 Oct. 1729, who m. 9 July, 1701, Rebecca, dau. of Hon. 
Peter Bulkeley ; Jonathan,* b. 3 June, 1 702, settled in Littleton, and 
wife Mary; Dr. Jonathan^ (his father), b. 24 May, 1725, d. Hali- 
fax, N.S., Feb. 1810, m. Mary, dau. of Hon. Wm. Vassall of Cam- 
It rd Ice. 



430 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Dr. Joseph m. Abigail Whidden, dau. of John and EHzabeth 
(Longfellow) Whidden of Halifax, N.S. Children : — 

Charles "William Eustis, b, 10 Feb. 1795, d. 12 Apr. 1849, 
who m. 13 Feb. 1816, Mary Arabella, dau. of Elisha Calkins 
of Liverpool, N.S. Their dau. m. Hon. James M. Bullock of 
Shelbyville, Ky., whose son, Frederick Prescott Bullock, is now 
(1873) an applicant for admission to the Society. 

He was com. 1st lieut. in Crane's artillery, 12 Sept. 
1778 ; was commissary of ordnance and military stores at 
West Point, Dec. 1788 — Dec. 1788 ; afterward joined the 
N.Y. Society. 

Jitifus Putnam, 

He Avas b. Sutton, Mass., 9 Apr. 1738. Losing his father 
when he was seven years of age, he was sent to live with 
his maternal grandfather in Danvers. From 1747 to 1753, 
he lived with his step-father, Capt. John Sadler of Upton, 
who denied him all opportunity for instruction ; but by in- 
dustry and perseverance he taught himself the rudiments 
of knowledge. He learned the trade of millwright to which 
he was apprenticed in 1754, also working on a farm, and 
became renowned for strength and activity, attaining at 
the age of 18 the full stature of a man six feet high. 
During the French war he served as a private in Ebenezer 
Learned's company, and in a company of rangers in the 
campaign of 1757 ; in Joseph Whitcomb's Co. of Rug- 
gles's ■ reg. in that of 1758, and was present at the 
battle of Ticonderoga ; as orderly sergeant of Page's Co. 
Ruggles's reg. in the campaign of 1759, in which Ticonde- 
roga and Crown Point were taken from the French ; and 
in that of 1760, as ensign in Willard's reg. In 1761 he 
resumed his old occupations of millwright and farmer, to 
Avhich he added that of a surveyor. In 1765 he m. and 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 431 

settled in North Brookfield, M^here his family resided until 
1780, when he purchased a large farm in Rutland, Mass. 
He emplo^'ed his leisure hours in the study of geometry, 
and soon became versed in practical surveying, in which 
he was engaged for some years in the neighboring towns. 
In 1772-73 he visited Florida as agent for " The Mihtary 
Company of Adventurers," who, after his report of the 
exploration had been made, resolved to prosecute the set- 
tlement of their lands in that region, — an enterprise, 
however, which signally failed. 

On the breaking out of the Revolutionary war, he was 
made lieut.-col. of David Brewer's reg., and at once set to 
work tracing out lines in front of Roxbury toAvard Boston, 
and in various places in the vicinity, particularly at Sew- 
all's Point ; although he had never read a work on fortifi- 
cation, all his knowledge having been acquired by working 
under British engineers. Many of the defences of Rox- 
bury, Dorchester, and Brookline were of his construction, 
and especially the fort on Cobble Hill. In December he 
went to Newport, R.I., where he planned a battery that 
commanded the harbor, also a work at Howland's Ferr3^ 
When in the winter of 1775-76 it was determined that 
Dorchester Heights should be fortified, the eartli was, 
from the severity of the season, so deeply frozen as to 
prevent a lodgement being made in the usual way. 
" Providentially," as he considered it, in a book on field 
engineering, which he accidentally found at Gen. Heath's 
head-([uarters, mention was made of " chandeliers." These 
were made of stout timbers ten feet long, into which were 
framed posts five feet high and five feet apart, placed on 
the groiuid in .parallel lines, and the open spaces filled 
in with bundles of fascines^ strongly picketed together ; 
thus forming a movable parapet of wood instead of earth. 
They were speedily prepared, silently placed in position on 



432 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

the night of March 4th, and on the morning of the 5th the 
British troops were astonished to see a formidable battery 
where, the evenmg before, no trace of a defence was to be 
seen. This was the immediate cause of the evacuation of 
Boston, which took place on the 17th ; and on the 31st he 
was ordered to New York, taking Providence and Newport 
on his way, where he assisted in the construction of ad- 
ditional defensive works. He reached New York about 
April 20, and was immediately authorized, as chief en- 
gineer, to fortify New York, Long Island, Fort Lee, Fort 
Washington, Kingsbridge, &c. Com. by Congress Colonel 
of Engineers, 5 Aug. 1776, he rendered himself extremel}- 
serviceable to the Commander-in-chief in this department, 
during the active campaign that followed, but resigned the 
post on being com. col. of the 5th (Mass.) continental 
resr. in the following November. With this reg. he took 
an active part in the campaign agaist Burgoyne, especially 
in storming the German redoubt near the close of the 
battle of Saratoga, on Oct. 7, 1777. In this aifair Col. 
Putnam commanded the 5th and 6th (Nixon's) regiments. 
The moment that orders were given to storm, he moved 
rapidly across an open field, under a murderous fire of 
grape and musketry, and entered the woi-ks in front, at 
the same moment that Learned's brigade, in which Jack- 
son's (8th) reg. led by Lt.-Col. Brooks was stationed, 
entered on the left and rear. Col. Putnam then advanced 
into the wood toward the enemy's enclosed redoubts on 
their right flank, where he remained until toward morn- 
ing. Gen. Learned having withdrawn all the other troo]3s 
without notif\'ing Col. Putnam of his design, leaving him 
unprotected in the occupancy of the wood. After Bur- 
goyne's surrender, Nixon's brigade, to which he was 
attached, went into ^^inter quarters at Albany. In the 
following year he was engaged in laying out and con- 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 433 

structing a chain of forts and redoubts at West Point, 
the principal of which, " Fort Putnam," was named for 
him. On July 10, 1779, he made a reconnoissance of Stony- 
Point, his full and intelligent report of which service made 
to Washington, on the 14th, no doubt contributed greatly 
to the success of the attack on that post, which immediately 
followed. He was shortly afterward app. to the command 
of a reg. of light inf. in Wayne's brigade. In May, 1780, 
he commanded an advanced detachment on Croton River, 
watching the movements of the enemy, whose light dra- 
goons, under Tarleton Simcoe and De Lancey, had for- 
merly inflicted severe losses on American detachments in 
this service. The constant watchfulness of Col. Putnam 
saved him from any disaster of this kind. He was also 
busily employed, as agent for his brother officers, in inter- 
ceding with Congress and with the Legislature of Mass. for 
a redress of their grievances, especially their want of pay 
and clothing. Com. brig. -gen. 7 Jan. 1788, and remained 
in the army till its final reduction in June following, when 
he joined his family in Rutland, Mass. In 1783 he joined 
with the other officers of the Northern States in petitioning 
Congress for a grant of land in the Western country, and, 
in a communication addressed to Washington on the same 
subject, originated the excellent system of laying out and 
surveying the public lands in townships of six miles square. 
In 1785 the Legislature of Mass. app. him on the com- 
mittee for the sale 5f their Eastern lands, and also super- 
intendent of the surveys to be made, which duty he 
satisfactorily performed. On Jan. 10, 1786, Gens. Put- 
nam and Tupper issued a public notice for the formation 
of " The Ohio Company." In Jan. 1787, he joined Gen. 
Lincoln at Worcester as a volunteer aide, to suppress the 
Shays insurrection ; and in May was chosen to represent 
Rutland in the General Court. In Nov. 1787, he was app. 

55 



434 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES 0¥ THE 

superintendent of the aifairs of the Ohio Company, rehiting 
to the settlement of their lands north-west of the river 
Ohio ; and in Apr. 1788, began, with a part}^ of forty emi- 
grants, chiefly from Mass., the settlement of Marietta, the 
first permanent white settlement in Ohio. In 1789 he 
was app. a Judge of the U. S. Court for the North-west 
Territory ; and in Nov. 1790, he removed his family to 
Marietta. App. a brig.-gen. in WajTie's army, 4 May, 
1792 ; on Sept. 27, 1793, he made a treaty of peace at 
Post Vincent, by which eight of the Wabasli tribes were 
detached, from the hostile Indians, thus lessening their 
strength ; and resigned his com. in the following February. 
He M'as surveyor-general of the U. S. lands in 1796-1803 ; 
and. was a member of the Ohio Constitutional Convention 
in 1803. In 1798 he was one of the founders of " Mus- 
kingum Academy," the first in the State ; and in 1801 
was app. one of the trustees of the Ohio University at 
Athens. He d. at Marietta, 4 May, 1824. 

His descent from Jo/ui,^ of Salem in 1634, who came from Aston 
Abbots, near Ayle.sbury, in Co. Bucks, Eng., d. 30 Dec. 1662, and 
wife Priscilla, was through T/iomas,'^ b. Eng. 1618, d. 5 May, 1686, 
freeman 1642, m. 17 Oct. 1643, Ann, dau. of Edward Holyoke ; 
Edward^^ bapt. 9 July, 1654, d. 1747, freeman 1690, m. 14 June, 
1681, Mary Holten ; EUsha^ (his father), b. 3 Nov. 1685, d. June, 
1745, who m. Susanah, dau. of Jonathan Fuller of Dan vers, and 
who was a cousin of Gen. Israel Putnam. 

He m. in Jan. 1765, Persia, dau. of Zebulon Rice of Westboro', 
Mass., by whom he. had a large family of children. She d. in 1 820. 
His son, Edwin, b. Brookfield, 9 Jan. 1776 (Dick. Coll., Pa., 1797), 
lawyer and judge in Ohio, d. Putnam, O., 17 July, 1843. 

He was at the commencement of the Kevolution, and 
had for many years previously been, an inhabitant of Bos- 
ton ; was an oificer of artillery at the siege of Boston, 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 435 

having entered the service Apr, 24, 1775 ; was com. 1st 
lieut. in Knox's art. 1 Jan. 1776 ; was promoted to capt.- 
lieut. the same year, and resigned 1 May, 1779, at which 
date he held the rank of capt. in Crane's reg. He Avas- 
stationed at Fort Stirling on Long Island, and was engaged 
in the battle of 27 Aug. 1776 ; was captured at Paoli, while 
endeavoring to bring off his guns, 22 Sept. 1777, when 
Wayne was surprised by Gen. Grey. While endeavoring 
to effect his escape on this occasion, he was knocked down 
and stabbed in eight places. He was shortly afterward 
wounded at Germantown, and left for dead. He com- 
manded a merchant ship out of New York after the war, 
and was a partner with Major Samuel ShaAv in the Can- 
ton trade. He d. in N.Y. city in Jan. 1811. 

Com. ensign in Vose's (1st) reg. 15 June, 1781 : in 6th 
reg. in 1783 ; d. before 1812. 

Com. ensign in Brooks's (7th) reg. ; com. lieut. 16 Apr. 
1780 ; transferred in 1783 to H. Jackson's (4th) reg. ; also 
reg. and brigade quartermaster. He resided at Williams- 
town, Mass., some time prior to 1806, when he removed 
to Salem, Washington Co., N.Y., where he d. 20 June, 
1838, se. 84. He left Jgsiah and William H., of Salem, 
N.Y. 

f^tnvs MtititL 

He was ensign and quartermaster of Armand's legion 
from 1 Apr. 1778, to 31 Dec, 1779; paym. (same corps), 
Jan. — Dec. 1780 ; afterward jiromoted to lieut. 

He was a sergeant in Fernald's Co. of Phinney's reg. in 
1775: com. lieut. 13 Nov. 1776; com. capt. in Sprout's 



436 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

(12th) reg. 14 Oct. 1780 ; brigade major, 14 May to 1 
Dec. 1781 ; in Vose's (1st) reg. in 1782-83. ' He d. in 
1784. His eldest son, Timothy, of Cornish, Me., was 
thirty-five years a preacher, and in 1838 was admitted a 
member of the Society, bnt did not <|ualify. 

Nat!) an iXitt, 

He was the son of Rev. Caleb Rice ; was b. Sturbridge, 
Mass., 2 Aug. 1754 ; d. Burlington, Vt., 17 Apr. 1834 ; 
H. U. 1773. AVhen the Revolutionar}^ war broke out, 
he was a law student in the office of John Adams ; was 
a lieut. and adjutant in Greaton's (24th) reg. at the siege 
of Boston : was aide to Gen. Lincoln, with the rank 
of major, 7 May, 1777 — 31 Dec. 1780; brigade inspector, 
Aug. — Dec. 1780; was attached to Scammell's light inf. 
reg. at the siege of Yorktown, and commanded the reg. 
after the death of that officer. Com. lieut .-col. during the 
quasi war Avith France, in 1798-1800, and stationed at 
Oxford, Mass. He resided in Hingham, Mass., and after- 
ward in Burlington, Vt. Col. Rice was prompt in the 
discharge of his official duties, gentlemanly in his deport- 
ment, and highly esteemed for his noble bearing and social 
qualities. 

His descent from Edmund^ Rice, b. Eng. ab. 1594, settled at 
Sudbury 1639, d. Marlboro', 3 May, 1663, was through Joseph'^ 
and Martha, who d. 4 Jan. 1668-69 ; Caleb,^ b. 19 May, 1666, d. 5 
Jan. 1738-39, who m. 21 May, 1696, Mary Ward of Marlboro'; 
Rev. Caleb * (his fother), b. 13 Dec 1712, H. U. 1730, first minister 
of Sturbridge, Mass., from 29 Sept. 1736. to his d., 2 Sept. 1759, 
who m. Priseilla Payson. 

He m. 1st (12 Feb. 1781) Mariel Leavitt, who d. Iliugham. 7 
Jan. 1790 ; 2d (16 Jan. 1791), Sophia, dau. of Joseph Blake. She 
d. Jan. 1814, a;. 52. Children : — 

Charles, 28 Nov. 1781, d. 17 Aug. 1799. 

Sali.v. bapt. 21 Sept. 1783. m. John Piiine. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 437 

Caleb, 5 Dec. 1784, H. U. 1803, d. Hingham, unm., 1849. 
Priscilla, 11 June, 1786, m. Alvan Foote of Burlington, Vt, 

d. there 5 Sept. 1841. 
Mariel, 13 July, 1788. d. unm. 23 June, 1837. 
Nathan. 

John Blake, 25 Mar. 1792, d. Hingham, 9 Dec. 1795. 
Sophia Blake, 12 Feb. 1797, m. Dr. Gamaliel Bradford. 

NATHAN RICE. 

Third son of Col. Nathan, whom he succ. in 1849 ; b. 
Hingham, Mass., 27 Dec. 1789 ; d. Jacksonville, Fla., 
while on a journey for his health, 5 Mar. 18o2. He re- 
sided at Cambridge, Mass., and was many years a partner 
in the mercantile house of Rice and Thaxter, Boston. 

He m. at Boston, 27 May, 1817, Elizabeth N., dau. of Dr. Levi 
Lincoln, who d. at Hingham, Mass., 3 Oct. 1848, ss. 52. Children : — 
Elizabeth L., 13 May, 1818. 
Carolixk p., 27 Sept. 1820, m. 27 May, 1844, Rev. J. F. W. 

Ware, d. 18 Sept. 1848. 
Helen W.,21 Sept. 1822, m. 10 Oct. 1850, Rev. J. F. W. Ware. 
Charlks Leavitt, G Oct. 1825, d. se. 6 months. 
Nathan Payson. 
Sophia Thaxter, 8 July, 1832, m. 10 Oct. 1855, Wm. H. Gor- 

ham. 
Benjamin Thaxter. 7 Feb. 1839. 

NATHAN PAYSON RICE, M.D. 

Eldest son of Nathan, whom he succ. in 1852 ; b. Cam- 
bridge, Mass., 26 May, 1828 ; H. U. 1849 ; received his 
medical degree in 1853 ; practised medicine in New 
Orleans ; member Mass. Medical Society. 

(©liijcr Mitt, 

He was b. Sudbury, Mass., 26 July, 1752 ; was the son 
of William and Mary (Estabrook) Rice, and was a de- 
scendant of Edmund Rice of Sudbury. Ensign in Wes- 



438 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

son's (9tli) reg. 1777; com. lieut. 5 Sept. 1781, in H. 
Jackson's reg. ; in the 4th reg. in 1783. He m. ab. 1785 
Abigail Willard of Walpole, N.H., where he kept a store ; 
but, losing both his wife and a dan., he removed to Ohio, 
and settled in 1789 in Belpre, which he assisted in sur- 
veying and laying out. 

^fjtlalj Bicijiirtrson, ^M, 

He was b. East Medway, Mass., 30 Aug. 1752 ; d. Med- 
way, 10 May, 1822. He studied at H. U. in 1770-72; 
entered the Revolutionary army as mate to Dr. Samuel 
Whitwell, surgeon in Greaton's (3d) reg. in 1775, and 
was surgeon from 6 Nov. 1776, to 1 Jan. 1781, in R. Put- 
nam's (5th) reg. On June 1, 1779, he was captured at 
Fort La Fayette, on the Hudson River, near Stony Point, 
and was some time a prisoner on Long Island. During his 
imprisonment, his sister, Mrs. Cutler, whose husband was 
a Tor}^, ministered to his wants and relieved his necessi- 
ties. He afterward settled in his native town, where he 
was eminent as a physician, and also as a botanist, and 
where he educated many young men for the medical pro- 
fession. In .1787 he was again called into the service of 
his country, to aid in the suj^pression of Shays's rebellion. 

He m. Mary Daniels, who d. Mar. 1854, se. 98. Children : — 
Betsey, 2 Apr. 1773, m. Capt. Lewis Wheeler of Medway. 
Joseph, 24 Apr. 1775, d. 1 Nov. 1825. m. Anna, dau. of Oliver 

Adams. 
Abuah, 21 Nov. 1781, m. Olive, dau. of Dr. Pond. 
Mercy, 2 May, 1783, m. John Stedman. 
Charlotte, 28 July, 1785, d. 5 Oct. 1795. 
AbiGatl, 31 July, 1787, m. 1st Asa Thayer; 2d, Zech. Lovell. 
Mary, 20 Mar. 1789, unm. 
Eliza, 2 July, 1791, m. Sylvanus Adams. 
Tryphena, 9 June, 1794, m. J. P. Leland of Sherborne 
Jeremiah Daniels, 1796, m. Laurena Beal. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 439 

HORACE RICHARDSON. 

Son of Joseph and grandson of Abijah, whom he succ. 
in 1845 ; b. Medwa3% 23 Sept. 1795 ; m. Catharine Draper ; 
deceased. 

GEORGE DRAPER RICHARDSON. 

Eldest son of Horace, whom he succ. in 1857 ; b. Med- 
way, 18 Sept. 1823 ; resides in Stoneham, Mass. Next in 
succession is Horace Richardson, of West Roxbury. 

He was b. Mass., and d. Nashville, Tenn., in Jan. 1813. 
Prom, from sergt. to ensign in H. Jackson's (16th) reg. 24 
Apr. 1779 ; com. lieut. 9th reg. 14 Apr. 1782. He was a 
merchant at Wilmington, N.C., in 1784-90 ; capt. in the 
U. S. Army, 1794-1800. 

He was b. Duxbury, Mass., 29 Nov. 1751 ; d. 18 Oct. 
1841, at Kingston, Mass., whither his family removed in 
1759. He was com. 1st lieut. in Bailey's (2d) reg. 1 Jan. 
1777; lieut. and adjutant in 1780; brigade quartermaster 
Paterson's (2d) brigade, 1783. 

Son of Capt. Hezekiali and Abigail (Hunt) Bobbins. He m. 13 
Jan. 1785, Hannah Tilden. Children: — 

Joseph Tilden, D Oct. 1785, d. Kingston, Mass., 27 Feb. 1856. 

RuFtJS, 9 Aug. 1787. d. at sea, 10 Nov. 1810. 

Marcia, 21 May, 1790, m. Charles Otis, 10 Jan. 1816, d. Mason, 
N.H., 22 Nov. 1848. 

Kenelm, 28 Feb. 1792, m. Lydia Otis, 7 May, 1823, d. at sea, 
2-i Dec. 1830. 

George, 2 Mar, 1794, d. New York, 2 AjDr. 1848. 

Lucia, 4 Nov. 1800, m. N. B. Bobbins, 22 Dec. 1830, d. Cin- 
cinnati, 23 July, 1867. 

William, 21 Apr. 1803, m. Mary A. Fisher, Apr. 1837, d. Bos- 
ton, 4 Apr. 1842. 

Harvey, 15 Feb. 1807, m. Catherine Riggerson, 5 Feb. 1844, d. 
Sonora Co., Cal., 27 Aug. 1857. 



440 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

JOSEPH TILDEN RIPLEY. 

Eldest son of Hezekiah, whom he succ. in 1843 ; b. 
9 Oct. 1785 ; d. Kingston, Mass., 27 Feb. 1856. 

NATHAX BACON ROBBINS, JR. 

Grandson of Hezekiah Ripley, and son of Capt. N. B. 
Robbins ; succ. Joseph Tilden Ripley (his uncle) in 1858 ; 
b. Plymouth, Mass., 31 July, 1831 ; accidentally drowned 
at Rochester, Minnesota, 1 July, 1859 ; Williams College, 
1856 ; a lawyer of Rochester, and a member of the Con- 
stitutional Convention of Minnesota. 

KENELM BOBBINS. 

Grandson of Hezekiah Ripley, and bro. of N. B. Rob- 
bins, Jr., whom he succ. in 1863 ; b. Plymouth, Mass., in 
May, 1839 ; grad. at West Point, 1863 ; app. 2d lieut. 5th 
cavalry, 11 June ; brevetted 1st lieut. for gallantry at 
Brandy Station, Va., 1 Aug. 1863 ; 1st lieut. 12 June, 
1864 ; severely wounded at Opequan, 19 Sept. 1864, and 
brevetted capt. ; capt. 4th Inf. 22 Jan. 1867 ; d. Jackson, 
Miss., 28 Feb. 1870. 

Hicijavtr iJrooUe Hoijccts. 

He was a capt. of South Carolina art. ; was aide to 
Gen. Lincoln in 1782 ; app. capt. 2d U. S. Inf. 4 Mar. 
1791 ; major 3d sub. legion, 28 Feb. 1793 ; d. 19 Jan. 
1797. 

Of Wrentham ; d. there Mar. 1787, leaving a son, 
Oliver, of Roxbury. Com. lieut. in Putnam's (5th) reg. 
1 Jan. 1777 ; afterward promoted to capt. 

He was b. Gloucester, Mass., 1755 ; d. Lisbon, Me., 
Nov. 1816. He enlisted as a private in his father's com- 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 441 

l)any, fought at Bunker's Hill, and in many important 
battles, and continued in service to the end of the war, 
having been com. ensign in M. Jackson's (8th) reg. 15 
June, 1781. He commanded a compan}^ in quelling Shays's 
insurrection, and was a skilful and courageous officer. His 
widow Lydia, b. 1753, was living in Northfield in 1836. 

His descent from John ^ Rotve, who settled iu Gloucester in 1651, 
d. 9 Mar. 1602, and wife Bridget, was through John{- d. 25 Sept. 
1700, who m. 27 Sept. 1663, Mary Dickerson ; Stephen,^ 1675, d. 
28 Apr. 1731, whom, in 1699 Martha Low; John^h. 1714, set- 
tled at Sandy Bay, and m. Mary Baker in 1736 ; Jolin^ (his father), 
1). 1737, d. ab. 1800, who m. Sarah Pool. 

He was b. Kingston, Mass., 25 Apr. 1719, d. there 7 
July, 1823 ; H. U. 1771. Com. 2d lieut. in Bradford's (14th) 
reg. 31 Jan. 1777 ; 1st lieut. and quartermaster, 13 Apr. 
1780 ; in Brooks's (7th) reg. 1782-83. He settled in 
Kingston after the war. 

His descent from Henry ^ Sampson, one of the " Mayflower " 
pilgrims, freeman of Plymouth 1637, an early settler of Diixbury 
who d. 24 Dec. 1684, was through Stephen^^ who d. 1714-15, and 
wife Elizabeth; Benjamin,^ b. 1686, d. 19 Apr. 1758, settled in 
Kingston, Mass., and m. 19 Mar. 1716, Rebecca, dau. of Jacob and 
Lydia Cook; Cornelius* {h\s Either), b. ab. 1724, d. Mar. 1796, 
who m. 1747, Desire, dau. of Benjamin Crocker of BarnstaV)le. 

He m. 1794, Rebecca Hawley, who d. 27 June, 1844. Chil- 
dren : — 

Benjamin, 19 Aug. 1795, d. unm. 22 Oct. 1832. 

Harriet, 7 Aug. 1797. m. 1st Charles Fisk ; 2d, Charles Adams. 

Rebecca, 4 Nov. 1799, m. Crocker of Barnstable. 

Lucy, 18 Aug. 1801, m. Hobson. In California. 

He was b. Gloucester, Mass., 1 May, 1753 ; d. New 
Orleans, 3 June, 1820 ; H. U. 1771. At the beginning 

50 



442 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

of the war he was caj)t. of one of his father's ships, but 
entered the army as a lieut. of art. 7 July, 1775 ; was com. 
capt.-lieut. in Knox's art. 1 Jan, 1776 ; capt. in Crane's 
art. 1 Jan. 1777. He was present at the siege of Boston, 
battles of Harlem (15 Sept. 1776), Trenton (in Glover's 
brigade), Brandyvvine, Germantown, and Monmouth ; and 
at the close of the Avar was aide to Gen. Robert Howe, 
and a bvt.-major. In 1786 he was app. Surveyor of the 
North-western Territory ; its Secretary in 1787 ; and was 
Gov. of the Miss. Terr, in 1798-1801. He was adjutant- 
gen, of St. Clair's army, and in the battle of Nov. 4, 1791, 
with the Miami Indians, was severely wounded, receiving 
two bullets in his body which he carried till his death ; 
and was app. adjutant and inspector-gen. of Wayne's army 
in 1792, but declined.. He finally became a planter, and 
resided a few miles from Natchez, calling his plantation 
Gloster Place ; and was just on the eve of removing to 
Phila., when he died of gout in the stomach. He was 
many years president of the Bank of the State of Miss., 
and amassed a handsome estate. 

His descent from William,^ of Exeter, Eiig., who m. Mary Epes, 
was through William,'^ b. Exeter, Eng , came to Gloucester pre- 
vious to 1G78, (1. before June, 1707, who m. 21 June, 1677, Mary, 
dau. of Peter Duncan; Co\. -Rpes,'^ b. 12 July, ICyO, d. G Dec. 1762, 
who m. 1 Apr. 1720, Esther, dau. of Florence and Christian Ma- 
carty; Wint/rrop* (his father), b. 6 Mar. 1727, d. 3 Dec. 1793, 
who ra. Judith, dau. of Thomas and Judith Saunders, 5 Apr. 1750. 

By his 2d wife, Mary Williams, widow, nee JMackintosh, m. 24 
Oct. 1798, he had — 

William Fitz Winthrop. b. Natchez, 6 Dec. 1799, H. U. 1817, 
d. Phila. Oct. 1822. 

George Washington. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 443 

GEORGE WASHINGTON SARGENT. 

He was the son of Winthrop, whom he succ. in 1835 ; 
was b. at Gloster Place, near Natchez, 2 July, 1802 ; 
H. U. 1820 ; and was shot in his house, 10 May, 1864, by 
soldiers, and d. on the 13th. The soldiers were robbers, 
who were soon afterward convicted and executed. 

He m. 7 Dec. 1824, Margaret J. Percy (b. London, Eng., 4 June, 
1802). Children : — 

Winthrop, b. 23 Sept. 1825, d. Paris, 18 May, 1870. He m. 
Sarah Ellery, dau. of Ignatius Sargent, and had one son, Igna- 
tius, b. 18 Apr. 1852. 

Robert Percy, 7 May, 1827. 

Mary, 21 Jan. 1829. 

Gkorgk, 5 Mar. 1831. 

Jane Percy, 25 Aug. 1833. 

Annie, 4 Jan. 1837, d. 5 Dec. 1841. 

213EiUiam <Satttrlec. 

Captain, and afterward major, in Hazen's regiment. 

He was com. lieut. and adjutant in Greaton's (3d) reg". 
11 Nov. 1777 ; d. before 1812. 

Josejpi) SalJcTfle. 

He was the son of Samuel Phillips Savage, a merchant 
of Boston, afterward a judge of C. C. P. of Middlesex Co. ; 
was b. Boston, 13 June, 175(3, and d. Berwick, Me., 20 
Jan. 1814. He entered the army in Apr. 1775 ; was com. 
2d lieut. in Furnival's Co. of Knox's art. reg. 26 Mar. 1776 ; 
1st lieut. Crane's reg. 1777 ; com. capt. 20 Sept. 1779 ; and 
resigned his com. of capt. in the 1st reg. U. S. art. 26 Oct. 
1791, after a service of sixteen years and six months. 

"He m. IG Dec. 1793, Catharine Hubbard. Children: — 
Charles Tyler; Samuel Phillips ; and several daughters. 



444 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

CHARLES TYLER SAVAGE. 

Eldest son of Capt. Joseph, Avhom he siicc. in 1822 ; b. 
Berwick, Me., 15 Mar. 1797 ; resides in Harvard, Mass. 

He m. 20 Sept. 1821, Anna Lewis Thaclier. Children: — 
William Henry, b. 22 Nov. 1831. 
James Dabnet, 13 Sept. 1833. 

He was b. Burlington, Yt., 1702, d. there 25 Maj^ 1827. 
His grandfather Avas in Abercrombie's arni}^ at Ticonde- 
roga in 1758, and at the close of the war (1762) settled 
in Vt. Ephraim, his father, was major of Whitcomb's 
reg. at Bunker's Hill ; and was a lieut.-col. at Saratoga. 
Of his brothers, Ephraim AA^as a capt., John a Kent., and 
Josiah an ensign, in the Revolutionary war. He was 
present at Bunker's Hill ; was com. ensign in M. Jack- 
son's (8th) reg. 22 Feb. 1781 ; and was in Col. Hamilton's 
lioht inf. at the storming' of the redoubt at Yorktown. 
Succ. in 1850, b}^ his son James Lucius, who never 
qualified. 

By his wife Lyclia (who was living in 1852) he had — 

James Lucius (his successor), b. 1791, U. of Vt. 180G, adm. to 

the bar in 1813, d. N.Y. city, 1850, leaving two daughters. 
Horace Buckltn. 
Gamaliel Bradford. 
Frederick Augustus, an officer of the war of 1812, present at 

Chippewa, Lundy's Lane, and Fort Erie. 
George Foster, an officer of the U. S. Navy, who served 

through the war with Mexico. 

HORACE BICKLIN SAWYER. 

Second son of James, M'hom he succ. in 1852 ; b. Bur- 
lington, A^t., 22 Feb. 1797 ; d. Washington, D.C., 14 Feb. 
1860. App. midshipman U. S. N. 4 June, 1812 ; lieut. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 445 

1 Apr. 1818; commander, 9 Dec. 1839; capt. 12 Apr. 
1853. During the war of 1812 he participated in several 
engagements ; was taken prisoner on Lake Champhiin, and 
confined as a hostage at Halifax for nearlj- a year ; was in 
the frigate " Constitution," " Old Ironsides," when she cap- 
tured H. B. M. ships, "Cyane" and "Levant;" and for 
this action was presented Avith a sword by his native State, 
Vermont. 

He m. in 182(5 (1st) Louisa Shaler of Ct., who d. in 1828, s. p. ; 
2d, 29 Oct. 1833, Roxalana Wadsworth, a descendant of the Capt. 
^Vadsvvorth of Charter Oak feme. Children : 

Mary Louisa, 8 Oct. 1834. 

George Augustus. 

Emilie, b. Baltimore, 23 Dec. 1842. 

James Estcourt, b. Washington, 3 July, 184G. 

Augusta Maria, b. Sacket's Harbor, N.Y., 16 Jan. 18.^1, d. . 

GEORGE AUGUSTUS SAWYER. 

Eldest son of Horace B,, whom he succ. in 1862 ; b. Bur- 
lington, Vt., 9 Mar. 1839. He is a paym. in the U. S. N., 
and served through the war of the Rebellion. Including 
George A., five generations of this family in direct descent 
have been in the military or naval service of their country. 

He m. in 1865 Florence H. Brown, and has one son, — 
Philip L. H., b. 1868. 

■Samuel 2Lfslic ScammtlL 

He was the son of Dr. Samuel of Mendon, afterward of 
Bellingham, Mass., and brother of Col. Alexander Scam- 
mell; was com. ensign in Smith's (13th) reg. 30 Aug. 
1781 ; in the (6th) reg. in 1782-83. Died before 1812. 

James <Scott 

He was com. ensign, 14 Dec. 1781 ; in Brooks's (7th) reg. 
in 1783. 



446 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

He entered the army from Lyme, Ct., in 1777 ; was com. 
lieut. in H. Jackson's (16th) reg. in Mar. 1778, and served 
in his reg. through the war, during which he was badly 
wounded in the hip at the assault and capture of Stony 
Point. He was after the war senator of the eastern dis- 
trict of N.Y., was a regent of the State University, and d. 
at Troy, N.Y , 1 Jan. 1820, 3&. 64. 

James cSciJcr. 

James, son of William and Sarah (Warren) Sever ; b. 
Kingston, Mass., 2 Nov. 1761, d. there 16 Dec. 1845. His 
mother, b. Plymouth, 13 May, 1730, was the daughter of 
James and Penelope (Winslow) Warren, both lineal de- 
scendants of Edward Winslow and Richard Warren of 
the " Mayflower." He grad. at Harvard Coll. in 1781, and 
having been commissioned ensign in Brooks's (7th) Mass. 
reg. 1 Feb. 1781, immediately joined the Revolutionary 
army, in which he continued until its disbandment in 1783. 

In 1798 he was app. one of the first six post captains in 
the U. S. Navy by President Adams. He superintended 
the building of the frigate " Congress " at Portsmouth, 
N.H., and was afterward her commander, but retired from 
the navy in 1801, and settled at Kingston. Vice-Pres. of 
the Mass. Soc. of the Cin. in 1839-45 ; President in 1845. 

His descent from Robert ^ Scaver, b. Eng. ab. 1G08, who came to 
N.E., settled in Roxbury in 1G34, and d. there 13 May, 1683, and 
his wife Ehzabeth Ballard, was through Caleb^' b. 30 Aug. 1G41, 
d. 6 Mar, 1713, who m. 1,5 Dec. 1671, Sarah Ingohlsby, who d. 31 
Jan. 1708 ; Nicholas,^ b. \b Apr. 1680, d. 7 Apr. 1764, H. U. 1701, 
minister of First Church, Dover, N.H., 1711-1"), who removed to 
Kingston, Mass., in 1728, and m. 21 Nov. 1728, Sarah (Warren) 
Little, dau. of James Warren; William^ (his father), b. 12 Oct. 
172'J, d. 15 June, 1800, who m. 2 Dec. 1755, Sarali Warren. 




J Ji. isrms. Ml. 



aJi^niEs Wo s^mm&Mc 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 447 

Feb. 22, 1796, he m. Jane Russell of Plymouth, by whom he 
had five children : — 
James Warren. 

Thomas Russell, b. 28 Oct. 1798, d. at sea, 1 ') Sept. 1836. 
Jane Russell, b. 13 Jan. 1802. 
Elizabeth Parsons, 5 June, 1803. 
Sarah Ann Warren, b. 20 July, 1805. 

JAMES WARREN SEVER. 

James Warren, son of Caj)t. James and Jane (Russell) 
Sever, was b. Kingston, Mass., 1 July, 1797 ; d. Boston, 16 
Jan. 1871. He entered Dummer Academy in 1811, and 
grad. in 1817 at Harvard Coll., where liis father, grand- 
father, and great-grandfather had also graduated. 

While a student of law in the office of Gov. Levi Lin- 
coln in Worcester, in 1820, he delivered the 4th of July 
oration at Leicester, his subject being " The Era of Good 
Feeling." In October of that year he entered the mer- 
chant marine service in the employ of the Messrs. Perkins 
of Boston, making his first voyage to the North-West 
Coast of America, continuing in the service of this house 
and commanding an East Indiaman until 1835. He com- 
manded the " Alert," the first ship that ever entered the 
Canton River without issuing the usual rations of ardent 
spirits to officers and men, an experiment which was 
entirely successful. On quitting the sea, he settled in 
Boston, and was a member of the Common Council in 
1850 and 1851. In 1853 and again in 1856, he was a 
member of the House of Representatives, and was chair- 
man of the committee of finance on both occasions. 

He early evinced a fondness for military life, having 
while at college commanded the Harvard Washington Co., 
an organization composed of the students, with whom he 
performed escort duty on the occasion of the visit of Pres. 
Monroe in 1817. He received from the President an 



448 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

appointment to a cadetship at West Point, in 1818, which 
he however declined. In 1844 he was adjutant of the 
Independent Cadets, of which corps he was Ueut.-col. 
commanding in 1849 and 1850. Coh Sever, who succ. 
his father in 1847, was in 1851-59 Assist. Sec, and 
in 1859-65 Sec. of the Soc. of the Cin. ; was its Vice- 
Pres. in 1865 ; became its President in 1866 ; and in that 
year was chosen Vice-Pres. of the Gen. Soc. of the Cin. 
He took great interest in the objects and purposes of this 
Society, with which he was so long identified, and always 
felt it a pleasant duty to discharge the various trusts which 
it confided to his care. 

In 1868 he established a scholarship in Harvard Coll., 
giving 82,500 for that purpose. He directed the income 
to be given to meritorious undergraduates, preference being 
given to those from his native town, Kingston, or from 
Plymouth, the birth jilace of his mother. 

He married, 7 Dec. 1836, Anne Elizabeth Parsons, dau. 
of James Carter of Boston, who survives him. They had 
no children. Col. Sever possessed marked traits of char- 
acter, both moral and intellectual. In his religious and 
political views he was eminently conservative, Avhile his 
integrity, firmness, and intelligence qualified him for pub- 
lic employment, and procured for him the respect and 
esteem of his fi'iends. 

REV. WIXSLOW WARREN SEVER. 

He was the son of James Nicholas, son of John, who 
was brother of Ensign James Sever, and succ. James W. 
Sever in 1871. He was b. in Kingston, Mass., 31 Jan. 
1832; H. U. 1853; Theological Seminary of Virginia, 
1856 ; ordained deacon (Prot. Epis. Church), 19 Mar. 1856 ; 
priest, 5 Mar, 1857, and has been successively assistant 
minister of St. Ann's Church, Brooklvn, N.Y. : Rector of 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 449 

St. Mary's Church, Newton Lower Falls, Mass. ; and of 
Christ Church, Lonsdale, R.I. ; and assistant pastor and 
superintendent of St. Luke's Hospital, N.Y. Now (1873) 
a resident of Lee, Mass. 

He was b. York, Me., 24 Oct. 1752 ; d. Augusta, Me., 
11 Sept. 1845. He was brought up on his father's farm, 
also learning the trade of a mason. Entering the army 
in May, 1775, as a corporal in D. Bradish's Co. from Fal- 
mouth, he was com. ensign in Fernald's Co. of Phinney's 
reg., and was present at the siege of Boston ; was a lieut. in 
D. Brewer's reg. in 1776, in the battle of Hubbardton, 
and the campaign ending in Burgoyne's surrender in Oct. 
1777 ; joined the main army at Whiteinarsh in Nov., and 
Avintered at Valley Forge ; was com. capt. in E. Sprout's 
(12th) reg. 1 Apr. 1779; app. muster master of Baron 
De Kalb's division, 9 Feb. 1778 ; aide-de-camp to Gen. 
Heath, 5 Feb. 1781, and served to the end of tlie war. In 
1783 he settled at Fort Western in Hallo well ; was town 
clerk of Hallowell and of Augusta for thirty-five years ; 
was clerk of the District Court of Maine in 1789-1818 ; 
register of deeds, 1799-1816 ; and held successively the 
commissions of division inspector, brigadier, and major- 
gen, of the eighth division of the State militia. His diary 
while in the army has been printed in the " Maine 
Farmer" (Aug. — Nov. 1872). Vice-Pres. of the Mass. 
Soc. of the Cin. 1845. 

His descent from Henry '^ Seivali, who settled at Newbury, Mass., 
removed to Rowley in 1657, d. 16 May, 1700, and who m. 25 Mar. 
1 646, Jane, eldest dan. of Stephen Dummer, was through Jolm,^ b. 
10 Oct. 1654, who m. 27 Oct. 1671, Hannah Fessenden of Cam- 
bridge; Nicholas,^ b. 1 June, 1690, settled at York., Me., m. Mehit- 
able, dau. of Samuel Storer ; Henry '^ (his father). 

He m. 1st Tabitha Sewall, his cousin (9 Feb. 1786) ; 2d, Rachel 



450 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Crosby (3 June, 1811); 3d, Elizabeth, dan, of John Lowell of 
Boston (9 Sept. 1833). Children: — 

ABiGAfL, 2 Apr. 1788, m. 9 Nov. 1809, Eben Dutch. 

Charles, 13 Nov. 1790. 

Maria, b. 11 May, 1792, d. 5 Oct. 1795. 

SusANXA, ") Apr. 1794, m. 27 Sept. 1826, Robert Gardiner of 
Hallowell, d. 2G Apr. 1852. 

William, 17 Jan. 1797, d. Illinois. Apr. 1846. 

Matiia, 26 Mar. 1798, d. 10 Oct. 1798. 

Ma-ry, 23 Oct. 1799, d. 25 Mar. 1825. 

Caroline Gill, 12 Apr. 1818, m. 27 Nov. 1839, James S. 
JNIanley. 

Susan, 8 Apr. 1820, m. Apr. 1840, Joseph A. Homan. 

Henry, 3 Dec. 1822. 

Elizabeth Lowell, 7 Nov. 1840, d. 20 Apr. 1859. 

^Ijomas cSttuatti. 

He was b. Boston, 1751, d. there 27 Nov. 1800, and was 
buried at Copp's Hill, where his wife Sarah was also in- 
terred in March preceding. Before the Revolution, he 
was a hatter in Boston, and a member of Paddock's Art. 
Co. He Avas a lieut. in Gridley's art. reg. in 1775 ; was 
com. capt.-lieut. in Knox's art. reg. 1 Jan. 1776 ; capt. 
in Crane's art. reg. 1 Jan. 1777, and served through the 
war. Present at the battle of Bunker's Hill, siege of 
Boston, Fort Montgomery (Oct. 1776), White Plains, 
Stony Point, Monmouth, and Yorktown, and commanded 
the artillery company from Boston which served under 
Gen. Lincoln in 1786-87 in quelling Shays's insurrection. 

THOMAS SEWARD. 

Only son of Capt. Tliomas, whom he succ. in 1802 ; b. 
Boston, Nov. 1770, d. there 25 Aj^r. 1852, leaving a son, 
Richard T. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 451 

.Samuel .Sljato. 

He was the third son of Francis and Sarah (Bnrt) Shaw, 
and was b. in Boston, Mass., 2 Oct. 1754. Thomas, his grand- 
father, came from Scotland ; his father (b. Boston, 29 ]Mar. 
1721, d. 18 Oct. 1784) was a merchant engaged in exten- 
sive business, and distinguished for intelligence and enter- 
prise. He was educated at one of the common schools of 
Boston, and at the Latin School, then under Master James 
Lovell. Here he acquired that knowledge of Latin which 
enabled him, during the leisure hours of camp and of his 
subsequent voyages, to become familiar with the best Latin 
authors, whose acquaintance he assiduously cultivated. 
Being destined for commercial pursuits, he left school early 
for the counting-house, in which he was occupied when 
the struggle between the colonies and the mother country 
began. At that time Boston was regarded by the British 
as a garrison town, and the officers were billeted on the 
inhabitants. Quarters were assigned to Major Pitcairn 
and Lieut. Wragg in the house of Francis Shaw ; and there 
is a tradition that a duel between Samuel Shaw and Lieut. 
Wragg was only prevented by the interference of Major 
Pitcairn, who obtained from the lieutenant a retraction of 
offensive words respecting the Americans, for the use of 
which young Shaw had challenged him. 

As soon as he became of age, and was freed from the 
obligations of his minority, Samuel Shaw, wdth the consent 
of his father, applied for a commission as lieut. of art. 
in the Revolutionary army, then besieging Boston. His 
application was successful: he entered the service on 1 Jan. 
1776, and continued in the army till the close of the war. 
His career as a soldier, and the estimation in which he was 
held, are shown by the following documents: — 



452 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

By his Ercelhncy, George WasJdngton, Esq., General and Com- 
j ^, mander-in-cMef of the farces of the United States of 

America. 

This certifies that Captain Samuel vShaw was appointed a lieu- 
tenant of Artillery in the array of the United States of America, in 
1775; the j^ear following he was appointed adjutant; and in 1777 
was promoted to the rank of captain-lieutenant and brigade-major 
in the corps of Artillery, in which capacity he served until August, 
1779, when he was appointed aide-de-camp to Major-General Knox 
commanding the Artillery, with whom he remained till the close of 
the war, having been promoted to the rank of captain of Artillery, 
April 12th, 1780. 

From the testimony of the superior officers under whom Cap- 
tain Shaw has served, as well as from my own observation, I am 
enabled to certify that, throughout the whole of his service, he has 
greatly distinguished himself in every thing which could entitle him 
to the character of an intelligent, active, and brave officer. 

Given under my hand and seal this tliird day of November, 
1783. Geo. Washington. 

By liis ExcL'l]ency\s conunand. 
Ben. AValkeh, aide-de-camp. 

This is to certify that the possessor. Captain Samuel Shaw, has 
borne a commission in the artillery of the United States of Amer- 
ica upwards of eight years, more than seven of wliich he has been 
particularly attached to the subscriber, in the capacities of adjutant, 
brigade-major, and aide-de-camp. 

In the various and arduous duties of his several stations, he has, 
in every instance, evinced himself an intelligent, active, and gallant 
officer, and as such he has peculiarly endeared himself to his nu- 
merous acquaintances. 

This testimony is given unsolicited on his part. It is dictated 
by the pure principles of affection and gratitude, inspired by an 
unequivocal attachment during a long and trying period of the 
American war. 

Given under my hand and seal, at West Point, upon Hudson's 
Kiver, this 5th day of January, 1784. 

L. S. II. Knox, Major-General. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 453 

Major Shaw liad continued a member of the family of 
Gen. Knox until the close of 1783, assisting in the arduous 
and delicate duties incident to the disbanding of the army. 
Feeling most keenly the wrongs sustained by the army, 
and the poverty in which the soldiers were turned adrift 
upon the world, he was, nevertheless, most active, and, 
from his influence and popularity, most efficient, in allay- 
ing the discontents which, at that period, threatened to 
disgrace both the army and the country. 

He took an active part in the formation of the Society of 
the Cincinnati, having been secretary of the committee of 
officers who inaugurated it. 

Like other soldiers of the Revolution, Major Shaw was 
in debt and without property when he left the army ; but 
the general confidence which his talents and integrity had 
inspired saved him from subsequent embarrassment. A 
company of capitalists, associated for the prosecution of 
trade between the United States and China, made him an 
offer of the station of factor and commercial agent for a 
voyage then projected. This offer he accepted, only de- 
manding that his friend, Capt. Thomas Randall, of Boston, 
who had also been an officer of artiller}^ under Gen. Knox, 
and who was then as destitute as himself, should be asso- 
ciated with him, and share in the profits of the agency. 

They sailed from New York in Jan. 1784, and returned 
in May, 1785. Shortly after his return. Major Shaw 
received an appointment as secretary in the War Office, 
under Gen. Knox ; but on 4 Feb. 1786, sailed again for 
Canton, having been honorably discharged from his office, 
and having been elected by Congress to be " Consul from 
the United States at Canton," without being entitled to 
receive any salary, fees, or emoluments whatsoever. This 
office he continued to hold till his death, being reappointed 
by President Washington, 10 Feb. 1790. 



454 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

He resided many years in China, making voyages to 
other parts of the East, and returning twice to the United 
States, where he was married, 21 Aug. 1792, to Hannah, 
daughter of WiUiam PhiUips, Esq., of Boston.* He must 
have been prosperous in business, as his later voyages were 
made in ships owned by himself; one of whicli, the "Mas- 
sachusetts," built by his order, and launclied at Quincy, 
Mass., in Sept. 1789, of between 800 and 900 tons, was 
larger than any merchant vessel before built in the United 
States. This ship appears to have been fitted out as a 
man-of-war rather than as a merchantman, and was sold 
by Major Shaw to the agents of the Portuguese govern- 
ment shortly after her arrival in China. 

On 17 Mar. 1791, Major Shaw, being much reduced by 
a disease of the liver contracted in Bombay, sailed in the 
ship "-Washington" from Canton for the United States. 
He did not live to reach his home and his expectant wife, 
but died at sea, off the Cape of Good Hope, on the 80th 
May of the same year.f 

The journal of James Dodge, surgeon of the ship, speaks 
of him thus : — 

" Major Shaw • . . was a man rather tall and portly than other- 
wise ; of an open countenance, and benevolent heart ; cheerful with- 
out levity, and sedate without reserve ; in the hurry of business he 
had leisure to attend the distressed, and his hand was ever open to 
indigence and want. His manners were refined, and his sentiments 
were worthy the character he possessed ; many a heavy heart has 



* Major Shaw had previously been engaged to Maria, dau. of Col. Bau- 
inan, an officer of engineers employed in constructing the defences of West 
Point. She died during his first voyage to China, in 1784. 

t A part of the elegant mansion designed by Charles Bulfinch, the archi- 
tect, and erected for Major Shaw's residence, is still standing in Bulfinch 
Place, Boston, and is now known as " Hotel Waterston." It originally had 
wings connected with the main edifice by colonnades, and was surrounded 
with gardens. 





i^t^iy'' 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 455 

been enlivened by his sociability ; and his freedom of conversation, 
and familiar deportment towards all the officers, endeared him to 
them by the most pleasant ties." 

Enclosing his preface to the " Journals of Major Samuel 
Shaw," which were edited by the Hon. Josiah Quincy, 
Sen., and from which the materials for this sketch have 
been drawn, the edito]- pays the following beautiful tribute 
to the memory of his friend : — 

It was my happiness, in my early youth, to enjoy the })rivilege 
of his acquaintance and correspondence ; and now, after the lapse 
of more than fifty years, I can truly say that, in the course of a 
long life, I have never known an individual of a character more 
elevated and chivalric, acting according to a purer standard of 
morals, imbued with a higher sense of honor, and uniting more inti- 
mately the qualities of the geutleman, the soldier, the scholar, and 
the Christian. Josiah Quincy. 

Boston, April, 184:7. 

Major Shaw was made a Fellow of the Amer. Academy 
of Arts and Sciences, 25 Aug. 1792 ; and was app. by Gov. 
Hancock aide to Major-Gen. Henry Jackson, with rank of 
major in the Mass. militia, 30 Aug. 1792. 

WILLIAM SHAW. 

Eldest surviving brother of Major Samuel, whom he 
suce. in 1800 ; b. Boston, 80 Mar. 1756 ; merchant ; d. 
13 Aug. 1803. 

He was twice married, — to Hannah Proctor and Judith Proc- 
tor, by whom he had a daughter Judith (of first marriage), who m. 
William Tuckerman of Boston; and a son, Francis, b. Oct. 1793 
(of second marriage), who d. without issue, in Jan. 1823. 

ROBERT GOULD SHAW. 
Eldest surviving son of Francis (Major Samuel's eldest 
brother) and Hannah (Nichols) Shaw. Succ. Wm. Shaw 
in 1812 ; was Treasurer in 1836-41 ; President, 1849-53. 



456 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

He was b. Gouldsboro', Me., 4 June, 1776. When four- 
teen years old, he came to Boston with the purpose of sail- 
mg as midshipman in his Uncle Samuel's ship, " Massachu- 
setts," but remained as apprentice to his Uncle William, 
who testified his appreciation of him b}^ leaving him, 
though young, guardian to his children. As one of the 
firm of Tuckerman, Shaw, & Rogers, he resided for some 
years in England. Returning to this country, he became 
principal of the house of Shaw, Barker, & Bridge ; and 
after the dissolution of this firm, continued in business 
under his own name, and that of Robert G. Shaw & Co., 
until his death, having associated with himself as partners 
William Perkins, present Treas. Mass. Soc. Gin., and four 
of his own sons successively. He was ver}^ successful in 
*business ; was for many years president of the old Boston 
Bank ; and, throughout his life, enjoyed the esteem of his 
fellow-citizens, as manifested in various ways. He was 
a tender-hearted and open-handed man ; always ready, 
especially to aid 3^oung men w^ho were starting in life ; 
and never, in any one instance, as he told the writer, did 
he have occasion to regret an act of kindness. At his 
death, which took place 3 May, 1853, his wife having died 
on the 14tli April just preceding, besides other charitable 
bequests, he left a large amount of money for the estab- 
lishment of an " Asylum for Destitute Children of Sea- 
men." 

He m. 2 Feb. 1809, Eliza Willard, dau. of Samuel (whose first 
wife was a sister of Major Shaw), and Sarah (Rogers) Parkman. 
Of their chihlren : — 

Francis George, is the present member Mass. Soc. Cin. 
Sarah Parkman, m. George Robert Russell. 
Samuel Parkman, m. Hannah Buck, d. 7 Dec. 18(51). 
Robert Gould, m. Mary Louisa Sturgis, d. 2 Dec. 1853. 
Anna Blake, m. William Batchelder Greene (5 July, 18(51, 

Col. 14th Reg. Mass. Vols. 1st Mass. Heavy Art.). 2;'> Mar. 

1864. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 457 

Gardiner Howland, m. Cora Lyman, d. 1 May, 18G7. 
Joseph Coolidge, d. a Catholic priest, 10 Mai*. 1851. 
Elizabeth Willard, m. Daniel Augustus Oliver, d. 14 Feb. 

1850. 
QuiNCY Adams, m. Pauline Agassiz. 
William Henry, d. in infancy. 
Marian, m. Frederick Richard Sears, d. 9 Mar. 1855. 

FRANCIS GEORGE SHAW. 

Eldest son of the foregoing, whom he succ. in 1858; 
b. in Boston, 23 Oct. 1809. Educated principal!}^ at the 
Latin School ; at sixteen entered H. U. as Sophomore, but 
left at close of first Junior term to enter the counting- 
room of his father, whose j^artner he became after some 
years spent in the West Indies and in Europe. Retired 
from active business in 1840 ; translated " Consuelo," and 
other works of George Sand ; " The Life of Charles Fou- 
rier," and various writings of the Phalansterian School ; 
Zschokke's "History of Switzerland," and other books; 
was President of the National Freedman's Relief Associa- 
tion, and of the New York Branch Freedman's Union Com- 
mission ; and now resides on Staten Island. 

He m. 9 June, 1835, Sarah Blake, dau. of Nathaniel Russell and 
Susan (Parkman) Sturgis, and grand-niece of Major Samuel Shaw. 

Of their children — 

Anna, m. George William Curtis. 

Robert Gould, b. 10 Oct. 1837 (19 Apr. 18G1, private 7th 
Reg. N.Y. National Guard ; 28 May, 2d lieut. 2d Reg. Mass. 
Vols. ; 8 July, 1st lieut. ; 10 Aug. 1862, captain of same regi- 
ment; and 17 Apr. 1863, colonel 54th Reg. Mass. Vols., col- 
ored), m. 2 May, 1863, Anna Kneeland Haggerty, and was 
killed 18 July, 1863, leading the assault on Fort Wagner, S.C. 

Susanna, m. Robert Bowne Minturn. 

Josephine, m. Charles Russell Lowell, Jr. (14 May, 1861, capt. 
6th U. S. Cavalry ; 15 Apr. 1863, col. 2d Mass. Cav. ; 19 Oct. 

58 



458 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

1864 brig.-gen. vols.), who d. 20 Oct. 1864, of wounds re- 
ceived at the battle of Cedar Creek, Va., the day previous. 
Ellen, m. Francis Channing Barlow (19 Apr. 1861, private 12th 
Reg. N.Y. Mil. ; 3 May, 1st lieut. ; 9 Nov. lieut.-col. 61st N.Y. 
Vols.; 14 Apr. 1862, colonel ; 19 Sept. brig.-general ; 5 Aug. 
1864, bvt. major-general; Mar. 1865, major-general vols.) 

He was b. Westfield, Mass., 1 Dec. 1737, d. there 11 
Nov. 1817. He possessed only such a common-school edu- 
cation as was attainable 100 years ago. Enlisted as a pri- 
vate in the army engaged against the French and Indians 
in 1756 ; became a lieut. in 1758, and a capt. in 1759. He 
was lieut.-col. of Danielson's reg. in 1775 ; of E. Learned's 
reg. 1 Jan. 1776 ; was com. col. 4 May, 1776, and com- 
manded the 4th reg. throughout the war, in which he saw 
much active service, participating in twenty-two engage- 
ments. He was present at the siege of Boston ; the evacua- 
tion of Long Island ; was wounded at Frog's Point, N.Y., 
18 Oct. 1776, by a musket-ball through the neck ; was in the 
campaign ending in Burgoyne's surrender ; commanded a 
brigade in the battle of Monmouth ; and established a high 
character for bravery, sound judgment, and humanity. As 
major-gen. of the Hampshire County militia, he protected 
the U.S. arsenal at Springfield when threatened by the 
insurgents under Shays in Jan. 1787. Upon the advance 
of the latter on the afternoon of the 25th to attack him. 
Gen. Shepard, after twice ordering them to retire, and 
warning them of their danger if they proceeded, discharged 
his cannon upon the centre of the rebel column, which 
immediately broke and fled in confusion, leaving three of 
their number dead, and a fourth mortally wounded. This 
was the only hostile collision during the rebellion, and its 
effect was such as to effectually pave the way for Gen. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 459 

Lincoln's subsequent successful operations, by which this 
apparently formidable movement was in a short time en- 
tirely subdued. Gen. Shepard was a member of Congress 
in 1797-1803, a member of the Executive Council in 
1788-90, and held other public trusts. 

By his wife Sarah, who d. in Jau. 1820, x, 87, he had — 

William. 

Noah. 

Wareham, b. Dec. 1773, living in June, 1853. 

NOAH SHEPARD. 

Son of Col. William, whom he succ. in 1832 ; b. West- 
field, 20 Feb. 1769 ; d. before 1849. His widow, Sophie 
D., d. 1864. 

Son of Col. William ; b. Westfield, Mass., 1761 ; d. in 
Canandaigua, N.Y., in July, 1823. Com. ensign in his 
father's (4th) reg. 1 Jan. 1781. His widow Fanny, b. 
1771, was living in Canandaigua, in 1832. 

Sianiel .^l^ute, pl.B* 

He was the son of Rev. Daniel Shute, D.D. (H. U. 
1743), who d. 1802, se. 80; was b. Hingham, Mass., ab. 
1755 ; H. U. 1775 ; com. surgeon in H. Jackson's (Ith) 
reg., 14 Apr. 1782 ; afterward a physician in Hingham, 
where he d. 18 Apr. 1829. 

DANIEL SHUTE. 

Son of Dr. Daniel (H. U. 1812 ; M.D. 1815), a phy- 
sician of Hingham, who d. there in 1839, and grandson 
of Surgeon Daniel, whom he succ. in 1852 ; resides in 
Hingham. 



460 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

He was b. Lebanon, Ct., in Jan. 1746 ; d. New Marl- 
borongli, Mass., 1816. He removed to Berkshire, Mass., 
in 1770. Enlisted as a private in Sowles's Co. of Fellows's 
reg. in Ma}', 1775 ; was ensign in Noah Allen's Co. of 
Asa Whitcomb's reg. 1 Jan. — 27 Nov. 1776, and present 
at Ticonderoga ; com. lieut. 28 Nov. 1776 ; in M. Jack- 
son's (8th) reg. in 1777-79 ; com. capt. in Smith's (13th) 
reg. 30 Mar. 1779 ; present at Bunker's Hill, siege of Bos- 
ton, capture of Burgoyne, Sullivan's R.I. campaign, and 
the battle of Monmouth, and at the close of more than 
eight years' service was the oldest capt. in the Mass. line. 

He m. in Nov. 1766, Sarah, dau. of Seth Dean. Children : — 

Rev. David. 

Betsey, who m. Aaron Adams. 

Sarah, m. Ezekiel Foster. 

Walter Deax, who m. a dau. of Rev. Shuon Waterman of 

Plymouth, Ct. 
Lucy P., m. Elisha Lewis. 
Almiua. 

Fanny, m. Rev. Pitkin Cowles of Canaan, Ct. 
Laura, m. Rev. Jacob Catlin of New Marlborough. 

REV. DAVID SMITH, D.D. 

Eldest son of Capt. Ebenezer, whom he succ. in 1846 ; 
b. Bozrah, Ct., 13 Dec. 1767 ; d. New Haven, Ct., 5 Mar. 
1862 ; Y. C. 1795 ; licensed to preach in Oct. 1796 ; pas- 
tor First Congregational Church, Durham, Ct., from 15 
Aug. 1799, to Jan. 1832. In 1830 he received the degree 
of D.D. from Hamilton College. For many years he re- 
ceived youth into his family and fitted them for college ; 
and, besides his professional employments, cultivated a farm 
with good judgment and success, laboring with his own 
hands, and rising at early dawn. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 461 

He in. 1 st Betsey Marsh, by whom he had — 

David Marsh. 

2(1, Catharine, dau. of Rev. Dr. E. Goodrich. Their children 

were — 
Catharine, who m. Henry L. Ellsworth. 
Elizur Goodrich. 
Elizabeth Marsh. 

Chaunoey Goodrich, b. 17 Oct. 1807, d. 27 Sept. 1825. 
Simeon Parsons, b. 31 July, 1809, d. 6 Feb. 1848. 

He was com. capt. in M. Jackson's (8th) reg. 6 Oct. 
1780, and was living in Maine on a government pension in 
1820. 

He was 2d lieiit. in Whitcomb's reg. at the siege of 
Boston ; was com. lieut. and adjutant of Wiggiesworth's 
reg. (13th) 1 Jan. 1777 ; com. capt. 12 Feb. 1778, and in 
Sullivan's R.I. campaign and the battle of Monmouth, in 
which he commanded Shepard's reg. and was brig.-major ; 
served in the light infantry at the siege of Yorktown, and 
was some time aide to La Fayette, and was conspicuous in 
the army for bravery and prudence. He d. Portland, Me., 
7 Aug. 1842, se. 89. Sally, his wife, d. 2 Feb. 1 837, a. 68. 
He had four daughters and three sons. 

HENRY SMITH. 

Eldest son of John Kilby, whom he succ. in 1846 ; b. 
Portland, Me., 12 Sept. 1794 ; d. Raymond Village, Me., 
10 Jan. 1871. 

f By his wife, Jane E. Waite (b. 2 Nov. 1799, d. 18 July, 1864), 
he had — 

William H., 30 Nov. 1824, resides in Raymond, Me. 

Alonzo a., 25 Sept. 1843, private Co. F. 25th Me. reg., d. 
Arlington Heights, 9 Dec. 1862. 



462 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Of Barre, Mass. ; was com. 1 Mar. 1778, lieut. in R. 
Putnam's (otli) reg. ; afterward adjutant. Supposed liv- 
ing in 1823. 

He was b. in 1756 ; d. Wareham, Mass., 20 June, 1848. 
He joined the army 1775 ; was com. dieut. 27 Mar. 1780, 
in Marshall's (10th) reg. ; in 6th reg. in 1783. He was 
present at Long Island, White Plains, Saratoga, Trenton, 
Stony Point (one of the forlorn hope), Monmouth, and 
Yorktown. The traitor Arnold once saved his life. Mr. 
Smith with others, being in pursuit of Indians, were sur- 
prised by their ambushed foes, when Arnold rode up, and 
clinching him by the shoulder rode off with him, making 
a successful escape, although his hat and clothing were 
pierced with balls fired by the Indians in pursuit. Every 
one of his comrades on this occasion were killed. Mr. 
Smith left one son. 

He was b. Shhley, Mass., 1746, d. there 12 May, 1830. 
Lieut, in Whitcomb's reg. May — Dec. 1775; in Little's 
reg. at the siege of Boston ; com. capt. in Bigelow's 
(15th) reg. 1 Jan. 1777, and served in Sullivan's cam- 
paign in 1778 ; in 5th reg. 1783. 

By liis wife Agnes, who survived him, he had — 

SiLVANUS, 11 Oct. 17G6. 

Ruth, 28 Jan. 1768. 

Hugh, 23 July, 1769. 

L'ucy, 6 Sept. 1772. 

Daniel, 8 Sept. 1773. 

Jerusha, 30 Sept. 1775, d. 30 Dec. 1789. 

Agnes, 7 Nov. 1777. 

Nancy, who m. McAlister, and d. 1865. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 463 

Simeon cSmitii, 

Lieut, in Paterson's reg. in May — Dec. 1775; capt. in 
1783 ; living on a government pension in N.Y. in 1820. 

JOHN JOHNSTON SOREN. 

Son of John and Sarah (Johnston) Soren, and eldest 
grandson of John Johnston, whom he succ. in 1840 ; b. 
Boston, 18 Oct. 1803 ; cashier Boylston National Bank ; 
resides in Boston. He m. 3 June, 1828, Fanny Wales, 
(b. 2 Apr. 1809), and has several children. 

■Simeon Spring, 

He was the son of William Spring, of Newton ; b. 20 
Jan. 1752, d. before 1812. Com. ensign in Shepard's 
(4th) reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; lieut. 20 Mar. 1779 ; in Sullivan's 
R.I. campaign in 1778. 

2£ljencier Sprout. 

He was the son of Col. Ebenezer Sprout of Middle- 
boro', where he was b. 9 Feb. 1752, and became like his 
father an uncommonly tall and portly man. In his youth 
he assisted his father upon the farm, and learned survey- 
ing, entering upon the struggle with Great Britain with a 
vigorous frame, and well fitted to undergo the toils and 
hardships of the field. Entering the ai-mj'" a captain, he 
soon became major in Cotton's reg., in which he served at 
the siege of Boston, and held the same rank successively 
in Learned's and in E. Francis's reg. in 1776 ; was com. 
lieut.-col. of Shepard's (4th) reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; lieut.-col. 
commanding the 12th reg. 29 Sept. 1778, and continued 
in service with credit to himself and the regiment to which 
he was attached, until the close of the war. He was in 
Glover's brigade at Trenton, Princeton, and Monmouth, 



464 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

and in Sullivan's campaign in R.I. in 1778-79 ; and, being 
a noted disciplinarian, was made an inspector of brigade 
under Steuben. He was second in command of the de- 
tachment which under Gen. Robert Howe, in Jan. 1781, 
quelled the mutiny of the New Jersey line, — a dis- 
agreeable duty, but one which was promptly and ably 
performed. After the war he married Catharine, dau. of 
Commodore Whipple of Providence, where he engaged in 
mercantile business ; but, being entirely unacquainted with 
mercantile affairs, he soon failed. In 1786 he was app. 
a surveyor of Western lands ; and in 1787, on receiving 
the same appointment from the Ohio comjjany, led a party 
of mechanics to the mouth of the Musldngum, where they 
arrived 7 Apr. 1788, and began the settlement of Mari- 
etta. Col. Sprout, who was six feet four inches high, and 
well proportioned, received from the Indians, on account of 
his tall and commanding person, the name of " Big Buck- 
eye," the origin of the phrase now applied to natives of 
Ohio. He was fourteen years sheriff of Washington 
County (1788-1802), and was also colonel of militia, 
superintending during the Indian war the military posts 
at Belpre, Waterford, and Marietta. In disposition and 
temperament he was cheerful and animated ; exceedingly 
fond of company and of repartee ; much attached to 
horses and dogs ; and was very kind-hearted. His later 
years he devoted to cultivating the earth, an occupation 
for which he ever retained a strong predilection. He d. 
at Marietta in Feb. 1805. 

His descent from Robert ^ Sprout (or Sprout), one of Cromwell's 
officers, who went to Jamaica, whence. in 1660 he came to Scituate, 
Mass., purchased the homestead and other lands in Middleboro' in 
1711, and d. there in Dec. 1712, and who m. Elizabeth, dau. of 
Henry Sampson of Duxbury, was through Lieut. Ehenezer^ b. 1676, 
d. 28 Sept. 1726; Col. Ebenezer^ (his father), b. 1718, d. 23 Jan. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 465 

1786. He was a col. of militia, and was for some years a member 
of the General Court. Mary, sister of Ebenezer and Thomas, m. 
Lieut. Wm. Torrey, a member of the Cincinnati Society. 

His only child, Sally, m. Judge Solomon Sibley of Detroit. 
They had Ebenezer Sproat SiUey, Col. U. S. A., who served in the 
war with the Florida Indians, Mexican war, and war of the Rebel- 
lion ; and Henry H., b. Detroit, Feb. 1811, governor of Minnesota. 

THOMAS SPROUT. 

Eldest brother of Ebenezer, whom he succ. in 1809 ; b. 
1 Oct. 1756 ; d. 3 Feb. 1833. He served some time in the 
army, married 8 Oct. 1788, Mary Briggs of Pembroke, 
Mass., and had — 

Nabby, 11 July, 1789, m. 10 May, 1813, Peter H, Peirce. 
Earle. 

EARLE SPROUT. 

Son of Lieut. Thomas Sprout, whom he succ. in 1843 ; 
b. Middleboro', Mass., 5 Sept. 1800 ; d. 9 May, 1864. 

He m. 9 Feb. 1836, Bethania Weston. They had — 

Mary, 3 Mar. 1837. 

Henry Hamilton, 10 Apr. 1842. 

Thomas Campbell, 20 Mar. 1849 (Y. C. 1871). 

a2Iiniam <Stacfi. 

He was b. in Salem, Mass., and engaged in seafaring 
business, but removed to New Salem, Hampshire Count}-, 
and occupied himself in farming. When the news of 
the Lexington battle arrived, the militia company in which 
he was a lieut. assembled and awaited the orders of its 
officers. The captain, who was supposed to be tinctured 
with Toryism, manifested backwardness and indecision, 
and the men were beginning to murmur, when Lieut. Stacy 
addressed them. He was stout of heart, but of few words. 
Pulling his commission from his pocket, he said, " Fellow- 

59 



4GG BIOGRAnilCAL NOTICES OF THE 

soldiers, I don't knoAv cxacth' how it is Avitli the rest of 
you, but for one I will no longer serve a king that mur- 
ders mv own eountrvmen,*' and tearing the paper in pieces 
lie trod them under his feet, and took his place in the 
ranks. The company was summarily disbanded, and 
reorganized on the spot ; tlie gallant Stacy was unani- 
mously chosen captain, and led a small but resolute band 
to Cambridge. Com. major of Woodbridge's reg. in Ma}^ ; 
he was in the battle of Bunker's Hill : com. lieut.-col. of 
Ichal)od Ahlen's (7th) reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; he was on the 
11th Xov. 1778, surprised and captured at Cherry Valley, 
X.Y.. by a large force of Indians and Tories under Cols. 
Butler and Brant, and only escaped torture at the stake, 
to which he had already been tied, by making the fiee- 
mason's sign, which Avas recognized by the latter. He 
remained a prisoner over four years, when he was ex- 
changed and returned home. In 1789 he moved with his 
family to the Ohio, and settled at* Marietta. Two of his 
sons. John and Philemon, joined in tlie settlement in Big 
Bottom, A\ hith Mas surprised b}' the Indians, 2 Jan. 1791. 
John Avas killed ; while Philemon, a lad of sixteen years, 
Avas taken prisoner and died in captivity. Col. Stacy, 
who Avas greatly esteemed for his many excellent qual- 
ities, d. ^larietta, 1804. His second Avife Avas Mrs. Shef- 
Held, a widoAv from R.I. His j-oungest son, Gideon, settled 
in XcAv Orleans, and established a ferry across Lake Pont- 
chartrain, and Avas there lost. Col. Stacy left a numerous 
posterity in Washington Co., Ohio. 

He Avas com. ensign, 30 Noa% 1781 ; Avas in Mellen's 
(8d) reg. in 1783 ; was a surveyor or engineer after the 
war, and d. ab. 1812 Avithout issue. An uncle, Capt. P. 
Staiford of XcAvport, R.I., commanded a letter of marque 



CINX'INNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 467 

out of Boston in 1770. James, his brother, an officer in 
the Revolutionary navy, d. Trenton, N.J., 19 Aug. 1838. 
His son Samuel B., who resides in Trenton, is now (1H'-j) 
an applicant for admission to the Society. 

Of Dedham ; was a meml^er of Paddock's Art. Co. in 
Boston ; com. 1st lieut. in Knox's art. reg. 1 Jan. 1776 ; 
capt. in Lamb's reg. 12 Sept. 1778. He is said to have 
been one of the best shots with heavy ordnance in the 
arniy, and was in tlie principal battles from Bunker's Hill 
to Yorktown. After tlie war he was engaged in mercan- 
tile pursuits in Coleraine, Mass. 

He was of Lynn, Mass., and d. there ab. 1800. Com. 
lieut. in Greaton's (Sdj reg. 1 Jan. 1777. 

By his wife, Mary Potter, he had four daughters and two sous : — 

Geougp: W. 

EjiEN, uow (1873), living in Lynn. 

GEORGE W. STOCKER. 

Eldest son of Ebenezer, whom he succ. in 1848 ; b. 
Lynn, 26 Mar. 1789 ; d. Falmouth, Me., 5 Mar. 1867. He 
was a cordwainer by trade ; was taken, while in a privateer 
during the war of 1812, and carried to Halifax ; and, on 
being released, served in the U. S. army till 1817. About 
1830 he removed to Falmouth, Me. 

He m. 30 Nov. 1834, Peace Allen of Cumberland. Their dau. 

Abbie, b. 24 Aug. 1835, m. Allen, and has Idilla and George 

Lincoln, b. 22 Apr. 18G5, the only male descendant of George W. 



468 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

JOHN THOMAS STODDARD. 

Eldest grandson of John Boies Thomas, whom he succ. 
in 1862 ; b. Plymouth, 1838 ; H. U. 1858 ; cashier of Ply- 
mouth Bank. 

^Jonatijan Stone. 

He was b. New Braintree, Mass., 1751. Francis, his 
father, who was a farmer and a tanner, lost his life while 
serving under Wolfe, at Quebec. Jonathan, after making 
a two years' whaling voyage, enlisted soon after the battle 
of Lexington, as orderly-sergt. in E. Learned's reg., in 
which he was made lieut. early in Mar. 1776 ; was com. 
paym. of R. Putnam's (5th) reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; transferred 
to Bigelow's (15th) reg. in 1779 ; and com. capt. 25 Apr. 
1781. He was present at the siege of Boston, and in the 
battles preceding the surrender of Burgoyne. After the 
war, he settled on a farm in Brookfield, Mass. ; and in 
1786-87 assisted Gen. Rufus Putnam in survej'ing Eastern 
lands. His brother Francis took part in the Shays insur- 
rection, which he was actively engaged, under Gen. Lin- 
coln, in suppressing. In 1788 he sold his farm, and bought 
two shares of the Ohio Company lands, taking his family 
and household goods to Marietta in 1789. In 1792 he was 
app. treasurer of Washington County. His farm, which 
was opposite, and a little below the mouth of the Little 
Kenawha, he left to his son Col. John Stone. Capt. Stone 
d. 25 Mar. 1801. 

He m. in 1776 Susannah, dan. of Daniel Matthews. Her mother 
was a sister of Gen. Rufus Putnam. He left numerous descendants 
in Ohio. Among his children were — 

Benjamin Franklix, of Belpre. 

Samuel, of Licking Co. 

Rdfus Putnam, who settled on a farm near McConnelsville. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 469 



"Natijanicl Stone, 

He belonged in Braintree, Mass. ; was com. ensign in 
Paterson's reg. 28 Mar. 1777 ; lieiit. in Vose's (1st) reg. 
6 Jan. 1780. He fought a duel near West Point, 21 Feb. 
1782, with Capt. Hitchcock, of Vose's reg., who was killed. 
After the war he was capt. of a merchant vessel. 

He was b. Wells, Me., 9 July, 1758. His emigrant 
ancestor came from the vicinity of London to New Eng- 
land in the 17th century. His father, Capt. John Storer, 
m. Mary, sister of Gov. John Langdon of N.H. One of 
his sons died of small-pox in 1776, at Ticonderoga. Eben- 
ezer, the fifth son, enlisted 17 Apr. 1776, as a corporal in 
E. Phinney's reg., after walking the entire distance from 
Wells to the camp at Cambridge ; was promoted to sergt. 
1 Aug. ; was com. ensign in Samuel Brewer's reg. 13 Nov. 
1776 ; com. lieut. in Sprout's (12th) reg. 5 July, 1779, 
and continued in the service until 1783, having also served 
as paym. and clothier of his reg. He was present at Long 
Island, White Plains, Trenton, Saratoga, and Monmouth. 
He was a merchant in Portland, Me., 1786-1807, and d. 
Gorham, Me., 20 Jan. 1846. 

He m. Nov. 1785, Eunice, dau. of Dea. Benj. Titcomb, who cl. 
14 Oct. 1798. A second wife and four children survived him. The 
surviving sons were — 

Ebenezer, a physician of New York City. 
William H., a grad. of West Point, served as a lieut. U. S. A. 
in the Florida war, is a farmer, and now (1873) resides in 
Gorham, Me. 
Albert, a merchant of New York. 



470 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 



He was b. in 1740, in that part of Ipswich now called 
Essex. Enlisting as a minute-man, he was made a sergt. 
in Abraham Dodge's Co. in Little's rag. early in 1775, and 
was in the battle of Bunker's Hill ; was com. ensign in 
same reg. in 1776 ; lieut. and adjutant in M. Jackson's 
(8th) reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; was com. capt. 12 Aug. 1779, and 
served throughout the war. One incident of his return 
home from the arm}-, afterward related by him, was that, 
out of the currency in which he had received his hard 
earned pay, he gave $100 for crossing the Winnesimet 
Ferry. After his second marriage, he removed to New- 
bmyport, and sailed thence as master mariner for several 
years. He cl. at sea near Point a Petre, Guadaloupe, in 
1800. 

By his wife, Mary Choate of Ipswich, he had — 

William, d. num. Susan, m. Moses Foster. 

By his second wife, Lydia Giddings, he had — 

Charles AV., b. Essex, 20 Dec. 1780, d. 8 Jan. 1845, who m. 
in Sept. 1815, Elizabeth Burnham (b. 23 Feb. 1789, d. 21 
Mar. 18 08). He was a merchant of Newburyport, and re- 
sided many years in Havana. 

Lydia, m. Abner Caldwell of Newburyport. 

CHARLES WILLIAM STOREY. 

Eldest son of Charles W., and grandson of Capt. Wil- 
liam, whom he succ. in 1846 ; b. Claremont, N.H., 18 July, 
1816 ; H. U. 1835 ; Cambridge Law School, 1839 ; is a 
coimsellor of Boston, and clerk of the Superior Criminal 
Court. 

He m. 30 July, 1842, Elizabeth Moorfield of Hingham, dau. of 
James Moorfield and Nancy Eaton, who was dau. of Lieut. Benj. 
Eaton of Boston, a member of the Society. Their children are : — 

Moorfield, counsellor-at-law of Boston, b. Roxbury, 19 Mar. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 471 

1845, m. 6 Jan. 1870, Anne Gertrude, dau. of Gen. Richard 
D. Cutts of Washington, D.C., has a dau. Elizabeth Moor- 
feld.h. IG Feb. 1871. 
MAPaANA Teresa, 30 Oct. 1847. 
Susan Tappan, 1 Nov. 1851. 

JoijH .Storg, 

He was b. Boston, and d. 20 June, 1791, at Burlington, 
Pa., while a U. S. Commissioner to that State. He entered 
the army as a volunteer, in May, 1775 ; joined the Ord- 
nance Department as conductor of military stores, in INIar. 
1776 ; was app. payrn. of Hitchcock's (11th) reg. in Sept. 
1776 ; app. in June, 1777, quartermaster to Glover's bri- 
gade, rank of capt. ; ajip. deputy quartermaster-gen., rank 
of lieut.-coL, in Oct. 1777, acting in that capacity until 
Nov. 1780, after which he served in Col. Pickering's de- 
partment of quartermaster-gen. with his former appoint- 
ment ; and in Sept. 1781, was app. aide-de-camp to Gen. 
Lord Stirling, continuing as such till Stirling's death, in 
Dec. 1782. He has descendants in western N.Y. 

Sol) .Sumner* 

He was b. INIilton, Mass., 23 Apr. 1754, and entered 
Harvard College in 1774 ; but, the students having been 
dispersed after the battle of Lexington, he immediately 
joined the army, in which he continued until its final 
disbandment, in 1784. Lieut, in Moses Draper's Co. of 
Gardner's reg. at Bunker's Hill ; in Bond's (25th) reg. 
at siege of Boston and invasion of Canada ; com. capt. 
in Greaton's (3d) reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; com. major in 1783, 
and " sustained the reputation of an attentive and intel- 
ligent officer." After the war, he was a commissioner for 
settling the accounts of the L^. S. with Georgia ; and on 
his return " was poisoned from eating of a dolphin which 



472 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

was taken off the copper banks of Cape Hatteras," and 
d. soon after his arrival in N.Y. city, 16 Sept. 1789. 

His descent from William ^ Sumner, who settled in Dorchester, 
freeman in 1637, will proved 24 Mar. 1691-92, and wife Mary, 

was through Rorjer^ b. Eng., deacon first eh. Milton, d. there 26 

May, 1698, te. 68, who m. a dau. of Thomas and Rebecca Joslin ; 
William^ b. ab. 1673, d. 22 Dec. 1738, who m. 2 Jan. 1697, Esther 

Puffer; Seth^ (his father), b. 15 Dec. 1710, d. 11 Nov. 1771, who 

m. (2d) Lydia Badcock, b. 1722, d. 1799. 

CHARLES PINCKNEY SUMNER. 

Originally named Job, only son of Major Job, whom he 
succ. in 1803 ; b. Milton, 20 Jan. 1776 ; d. Boston, 24 Apr. 
1839 ; H. U. 1796. He studied law in the office of Hon. 
George R. Minot ; attached himself warmly to the Demo- 
cratic party ; was for several years, between 1806 and 
1813, clerk of the House of Representatives, and was 
sheriff of Suffolk County from 1825 to his death. He 
was a man of high attainments, and delivered many ora- 
tions, addresses, and poems upon public occasions. 

He m. 25 Ajjr. 1810, Relief Jacobs of Hanover, Mass. They 
had — 

Charles. Jane. 

Matilda. Mary. 

Albert. Horace, 25 Dec. 1824. 

Henry. Julia. 

George, b. 5 Feb. 1817, d. 6 Oct. 1863. 

CHARLES SUMNER, LL.D. 

He is the eldest son of Charles P. Sumner, whom he 
succ. in 1840, and was b. in Boston, 6 Jan. 1811 ; H. U. 
1830 ; Cambridge Law School, 1834. He began practice 
in Boston in the latter year, took an active part in the 
peace and anti-slavery movements of the day, and in public 
speeches opposed the annexation of Texas and the war 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 473 

with Mexico ; and in 1848 supported Van Buren for the 
presidency. In 1851 he succ. Daniel Webster, as U. S. 
Senator, a position he still holds ; and was from 1861 to 
18T0 chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign 
Affairs. After the delivery of his famous speech, " The 
Crime against Kansas," May 19-20, 1856, he was assaulted 
while in his seat by Preston S. Brooks, M. C. from South 
Carolina, and so severely injured as to be unable to resume 
his public duties for three or four years. In the Senate, 
he oj)posed the fugitive slave act in a speech in which he 
declared, " Freedom is national, and slavery sectional." 
In the debates on the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, 
and on the contest in Kansas, he took a leading part. On 
resuming his seat in the Senate, his first speech was on 
" The Barbarism of Slavery," June 4, 1860. He Avas one 
of the first to propose emancipation as the speediest method 
of ending the Rebellion ; and subsequently originated and 
aided in the enactment of those constitutional amendments 
b}'- which the freedmen have obtained political rights. In 
the presidential contest of 1872, he was a supporter of Mr. 
Greeley. In 1831 Mr. Sumner became chief editor of the 
" American Jurist ; " he also edited " Dunlap on Ad- 
miralty," 1836 ; three volumes of Circuit Court Reports, 
1829-39 ; with J. C. Perkins, edited " Yesey's Chancery 
Reports," twenty vols. 8vo ; wrote for " Galignani's Mes- 
senger" a defence of our North-eastern Boundary claims ; 
and suggested to Mr. Wheaton a work on the " Law of 
Nations." Among his orations and speeches are : " The 
True Grandeur of Nations," 1845 ; " White SLavery in 
the Barbary States," 1847; "Finger Point from Ply- 
mouth Rock," 1853 ; " Eulogy on Abraham Lincoln," 
1865; "The National Security and the National Faith," 
1865 ; " Our Claims on England," 13 Apr. 1869. Several 

volumes of his speeches have been published, and a com 

60 



474 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

plete edition of his works is now in press. Mr. Sumner 
has for many years occupied a prominent place in the front 
rank of American scholars and statesmen ; a position to 
which his learning, eloquence, knowledge of public law, 
and, above all, his devotion to the cause of human free- 
dom, his high moral principle, and his purity in a corrupt 
age, fully entitle him. 

He was b. in Maine, and d. Washington, D.C., 20 Nov. 
1809. Com. ensign in Wesson's (9th) reg. 26 Nov. 1779 ; 
in M. Jackson's (8th) reg. in 1783 ; app. paym. of the 
army, rank of major, by Washington, in INIay, 1792, and 
filled that post until 30 June, 1808, when he resigned in 
poor health. 

He was b. Charlemont, Mass., 1752. Capt. Othniel 
Taylor, his father (b. Deerfield, 1719, d. 1788), was 
grandson of John, an early settler of Northampton. He 
was an original settler in Charlemont in 1742, and in 1743 
m. Martha Arms of Deerfield, who d. 1802. Othniel was 
com. 2d lieut. in Marshall's (10th) reg. 30 Jan. 1777 ; 1st 
lieut. and adjutant, 1778 ; com. capt. 30 Oct. 1780, and 
retired 1 Jan. 1783. He commanded a company at the 
capture of Stony Point; was a col. of militia after the war ; 
was an early emigrant to western N.Y., and d. Canan- 
daigua, N.Y., 15 Aug. 1819. 

He was a brotlier of Othniel ; was com. lieut. in Mar- 
shall's (10th) reg. 18 Mar. 1780 ; in Vose's (1st) reg. 
1783 ; was present at White Plains, Saratoga, and Stony 
Point; and was in 1820 a pensioner living in Charlemont. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 475 

He was b. Pelham, Mass., and was one of the first set- 
tlers of Rowe, Mass. He was an orderly-sergt. in Pres- 
cott's reg. at the battle of Bunker's Hill, and had charge 
of a company in the redoubt, which he was one of the last 
to leave ; was com. ensign same reg. soon afterward ; com. 
2d lieut. Bailey's reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; 1st lieut. and quarter- 
master to the close of the war. Capt. Taylor Avas erect 
in person ; bland, agreeable, and gentlemanly in manner ; 
had a pleasant voice, and was one of Nature's noblemen. 
His- name api:)ears often in the town records of Rowe. 
Though surrounded by Shays's men, he was a firm sup- 
porter of government during the rebellion of 1786-87. 

His 1st wife, by whom he had no issue, was a Nelson. By his 
2d wife, Sarah McCrelis, he had two daughters and two sons, Wil- 
liam and JoH>i, b. 24 Apr. 1791, d. Illinois, neither of whom had 
issue, and the flimily of Capt. William is now extinct. 

WILLIAM TAYLOR. 

Eldest son of William, whom he succ. in 1841 ; b. Rowe, 
Mass., 29 Mar. 1789 ; d. Southampton, 111., 23 Aug. 1859. 
He was a col. of militia ; was prominent in town affairs, 
and represented Rowe in the Mass. Legislature. 

James ^i)nti)n% ^M. 

He was b. Barnstable, Mass., 4 Feb. 1754 ; d. Plymouth, 
Mass., 24 May, 1844. His mother. Content Norton, was a 
grand-daughter of Gov. Coggeshall of R.I. He studied 
medicine under Dr. Abner Hersey of Barnstable ; joined 
the hospital department of the army at Cambridge, 15 July, 
1775, as surgeon's mate ; was attached in Feb. 1776, in 
the same capacity, to Asa Whitcomb's reg., with which 
he served in the Northern campaign ; app. to the General 



476 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Hospital, Northern department, 1 Apr. 1777 ; com. surgeon 
to Gibson's (1st) Va. reg. 10 Nov. 1778 ; transferred to 
Henry Jackson's (16th) reg. 1 July, 1779 ; to the light 
infantry reg. of Scammell during the Yorktown cam- 
paign ; and on leaving the army, 1 Jan. 1783, settled in 
the practice of medicine in Plymouth, Mass. Member of 
the Amer. Acad, of Arts and Sciences, and of the Mass. 
Med. Soc, and in 1810 received the honorary degree of 
M.D. from Harvard Univ. He devoted much time to 
literary and antiquarian pursuits, and, besides his writings 
on medical and agricultural subjects, was the author of a 
" History of Plymouth;" "Military Journal kept during 
the Revolutionary War" (a work of great value); and 
" Medical Biography." 

His descent from Antony ^ Thacher, of Salisbury, Eng., of Ips- 
wich, Mass.. 1G35, of YarmoiUh 1639, d. there 1667, and Eliza- 
bedi Jones, Avas through John,^ b. 17 Mar. 1639, d. 8 May, 1713, 
who m. 6 Nov. 1661, Rebecca, dau. of Josiah Winslow ; Col. John,^ 
b. 28 Jan. 1674-75, d. Barnstable, 17 Mar. 1764, who m. Desire 
Sturgis Dimmock; John* (his father), b. 25 June, 1703, d. Sept. 
1785, who ra. 28 Nov. 1734, Content Norton of Chilmark. 
He m. Susannah Hayward of Bridgewater. Children : — 

Betsey, m. Elliot of Georgia, and had Catharine and Jane, 

and 2d Michael Hodge of Newburyport, and had James T., 
who succ. Dr. Thacher in the Society. 
Susan, m. Capt. Wm. Bartlett of Plymouth, and had John Bart- 

lett of Boston. 
James Hersey, d. young. 

Xatijanicl JTijadjcr, 

He was a son of the distinguished patriot, Oxenbridge 
Thacher and Sarah (Kent) Thacher, and was a bro. of 
Rev. Peter and Rev. Thomas Thacher. His great-grand- 
mother, Theodora, was dau. of Rev. John Oxenbridge, 
who quitted England for conscience' sake. He was com. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 477 

ensign in H. Jackson's (16tli) reg. in 1778 ; lieut. 9th 
veg. 7 Oct. 1781; in Tupper's (6th) reg. in 1783. In 
Apr. 1780, he was captured by the enemy. He was of 
Dunstable, and d. unra. before July, 1809. 

His descent from Rev. Thomas ^ Thacher, b. Eng. 1 May, 1 620, 
came to N. E. with his uncle Antony in ] 635, pastor " Old South " 
Church, Boston, from 1G70 to his d. 15 Oct. 1678, who m. Eliza, dau. 
of Rev. Ralph Partridge of Duxbury, was through Rev. Peter^ of 
Milton, b. Salem, 18 July, 1651, H. U. 1671, d. 17 Dec. 1727, who 
m. 21 Nov. 1677, Theodora Oxenbridge ; Oxenbridge,^ b. 17 May, 
1679; H. U. 1608, d. 19 Oct. 1772 ; Oxenbridge, Jr." (his father), b. 
1720, H. U. 1738, d. 8 July, 1765. 

REV. THOMAS THACHER. 

He was an elder brother of Nathaniel, whom he succ. 
in 1812 ; H. U. 1775. He was the second son of Judge 
Oxenbridge Thacher, and was settled pastor of the Third 
Church, Dedham, 7 June, 1780, continuing until his d. 19 
Oct. 1812, se. 56. He delivered a eulogy on Washington, 
22 Feb. 1800. Several of his discourses were printed, 
among them a century sermon in 1801. He was a man of 
somewhat unpolished manners, and was never married. 

GEORGE McDONOGH THACHER. 

Eldest son of Judge Peter O. Thacher, who was second 
son of Rev. Peter, brother of Lieut. Nathaniel and Rev. 
Thomas, whom he succ. in 1854 ; b. Boston, 5 Mar. 1809, 
d, there 2 June, 1858. He was for many, years Consul 
for Denmark in Boston, and a merchant there. His mother 
was Charlotte I. McDonogh. His wife was Sarah E. 
Williams. 

GEORGE WASHINGTON THACHER. 

Only son of George M. Thacher, whom he succ. in 1860 ; 
b. Boston, 16 June, 1837 ; d. Fort Delaware, 13 Sept. 1864, 



478 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

the last of his name and race. Being the only son of a 
"vvidoAv, the law exempted him from serving in the army, 
but he volunteered to join the "Old Massachusetts 6th" 
reg., and laid down his life in the service of his country. 

CHARLES THACHER. 

He was son of Charles, a merchant of Boston, and grand- 
son of Rev. Peter, brother of Nathaniel Thacher, and succ. 
George W. Thacher in 1805. He was b. Boston, 15 Apr. 
1815; d. there, unm., 23 Mar. 1869. Educated at the 
Boston Latin School and at H. U. (1834) ; studied medi- 
cine in Boston and in Paris (1837-39), and practised some 
years ; but was afterward a wholesale dealer in periodical 
literature, — a business which was finally merged in the 
Amer. News Co. He died in the same house that had 
been for fifty years his home. He had a twin brother, 
William, and a sister, Mrs. M. E. Holmes. 

HENRY KNOX THATCHER. 

Eldest grandson of Gen. Knox, whom he succ. in 1843 ; 
b. Thomaston, Me., 26 May, 1806. His mother, Lucy 
Flucker, the general's eldest child, b. 1776, m. ab. 1803, 
Hon. Ebenezer Thatcher, and d. at Montpelier (Thomas- 
ton), 12 Oct. 1854. Young Thatcher was a pupil in the 
Boston schools ; entered the U. S. navy, 4 Mar. 1823, as a 
midshipman in the frigate " United States," Capt. Isaac 
Hull, and cruised in various national ships until com. capt. 
in 1861, having been com. lieut. 28 Feb. 1833, and com- 
mander 14 Sept. 1855. When the Rebellion began, he was 
ordered to the " Constellation," in which he cruised twenty 
months on the coast of Europe and in the Mediterranean ; 
com. commodore, 3 July, 1862, and placed in command of 
a portion of the Southern blockading fleet, with the " Col- 
orado" as his flag-ship ; took part with the " Colorado" in 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 479 

both attacks on Fort Fisher (Dec. 1864, and Jan. 18G5), 
in which he commanded the 1st division; ordered to the 
West Gulf blockading squadron in Feb., and took part in 
the capture of Mobile (12 Apr. 1865). The defences of 
this city were of the most formidable character. The rebels 
had 400 guns of heavy calibre in position ; the shoal waters 
for mUes around were strewn with torpedoes, and the 
entrance to all the rivers flowing into the bay were fenced 
with double rows of heavy "piles." Their works were 
eight miles in extent. The rebel fleet fled up the Tom- 
bigbee, but was pursued, and compelled to surrender to 
Com. Thatcher. He was occupied for more than a 3^ear in 
making arrangements for the disposal of the captured naval 
property ; was promoted to rear-admiral, 25 July, 1866, 
and was from the spring of that 3-ear until Aug. 1868, in 
command of the North Pacific squadron. He was retired 
26 May, 1868, and was until 1870 Port-Admiral of Ports- 
mouth, N.H. Admiral Thatcher became Vice-President of 
the Society in 1870, and President in 1871. Residence, 
Winchester, Mass. He ra. Susan C, dau. of Andrew 
Croswell, M.D., of Plymouth, Mass. No issue. 

JOSEPH HENRY JACKSON THAYER. 

He was b. Boston, 24 Jan. 1801 ; succ. Edward Jackson 
in 1826, and now (1873) resides in Bangor, Me. 

Sarah Jackson, his mother (b. Brookline, 9 Nov, 1765, d. 1809), 
dau. of Rev. Joseph of Brookline, who was only brother of Gen. 
Henry Jackson, m. Atherton Thayer, and after his d. his bro., Dr. 
Stephen Thayer, a druggist of Boston. They had Sarah Jackson, 
who m. her cousin, Ebenezer Coddington Thayer of Braintree, and 
Joseph Henry Jackson, who m. Susan H. Snow, and has no issue. 

Joljn STfjontcrs* 

He was the son of Dr. AYilliam Thomas ; was b. Ply- 
mouth, Mass., 1 Apr. 1758 ; joined the army as surgeon's 



480 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

mate at Cambridge in 1775 ; was com. surgeon of Wesson's 
(9tb) reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; in 8th reg. in 1783. After the 
war he settled in the practice of medicine at Poughkeepsie, 
N.Y., where he d. 30 Oct. 1819, leaving a son and a daughter. 
He possessed a remarkable faculty for mimicry, and could 
repeat a Yankee story with genuine humor. 

Son of Dr. WiUiam (b. Boston, 1718, d. 1804) and 
brother of Surgeon John ; b. Plymouth, Mass., 1755, d. 
there 19 Aug. 1838. He was a cooper by trade, and before 
the war was a member of Paddock's Art. Co. of Boston ; 
com. 2d lieut. in Knox's art. 16 Mar. 1776 ; capt. in 
Lamb's (2d) reg. of art. 26 Oct. 1779, and served at 
Yorktown. Recommended by Gen. Knox as a major in 
the army in 1798. 

JOHN BOIES THOMAS. 

Son of Judge Joshua, brother of Capt. Joseph, whom he 
succ. in 1849 ; b. Ptymouth, Mass., 28 July, 1787, d. there 
2 Dec. 1852 ; H, U. 1806. He was a lawyer ; was clerk 
of the Courts of Plymouth County for about thirty-eight 
years ; was seventeen years president of the Old Colony 
Bank, and was a member of the Constitutional Convention 
of 1820. His successor is John T. Stoddard. 

iCijatrtrcus JE^ijompson, 

He was b. Brimfield, iNIass., ab. 1746 ; d. Lisle, Broome 
County, N.Y., 1819. After studying medicine, he removed 
to Lenox ; served as a surgeon in the army during the 
Revolution, and was present at Trenton, Brandywine, and 
Germantown, and the surrender at Yorktown. He subse- 
quently practised medicine at Lisle until his death. 

He m. Betty (Whitlock), widow of Col. Brewer of the Revol. 
army, and had four sons : — 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 481 

Jonathan, who with his entire family d, at the same time of 

yellow fever, at Natchez, Miss., in 1818. 
"William, b. Lenox, Mass., 15 Jan. 1786, physician, who ra. 

Lucy, dau. of Major Manning, d. Pontiac, Mich., 10 July, 18G7. 

Had 5 sons and 2 daughters, of whom Charles H., a physician 

of Lebanon, Pa., b. Lisle, N.Y., 20 Aug. 1809, is now (1873) 

an applicant for adm. to the Society. 

Jamfs ^istialc. 

He was com. ensign in Heath's reg. in May, 1775 ; lieut. 
in Bond's, afterward Greaton's, 1775-76 ; at the siege of 
Boston and invasion of Canada ; com. 1st Kent, of Greaton's 
(3d) reg. 1 Apr. 1777; capt. 3 Ma}-, 1778; present at 
the surrender of Burgoyne, and served through the war. 
He d. Walpole, Mass., 13 Nov. 1832, a3. 86. His wife 
Sybil, dau. of Seth Chirk of Medfield, d. there 18 Mar. 
1785, te. 28. 

Com. lieut. in Hazen's ("Congress's Own") reg. 1 Jan. 
1777; served through the war; transferred to the N.Y. 
Society ; and d. N.Y. city, 8 Oct. 1831. His succ, the 
eminent chemist and botanist, Dr. John Torry, d. N.Y. 
city, 10 Mar. 1873. 

asadliam ^orrcg. 

He was the son of William, of Plymouth; b. 30 Oct. 1751 ; 
d. Pembroke, Mass., 22 Oct. 1828. Com. 1st lieut. and 
adj. in Bailey's (2d) reg. 1 Jan. 1777, and served through 
the war, after which he settled in Pembroke, Mass. 

He was descended from Lieut. James Torrey, of Scituate, 1640. 
He m. 1 Feb. 1784, Mary, sister of Col. Ebenezer Sprout. Chil- 
dren : — 

AYiLLiAM. Betsey. Haviland. 

61 



482 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 



WILLIAM TORREY. 

Eldest son of William, whom he siicc. in 1846 ; b. Pem- 
broke, Mass., 11 Mar, 1785; removed early in life to 
Bath, Me., where he was a merchant, and afterward city 
clerk from the date of its incorporation; and d. there 29 
Mar. 1867. He left a son, William, b. Bath, Me. 

He was the son of Jacob, the son of Deacon Jonathan, 
and Mary (Campbell), town of Oxford, Mass., where he 
was b. 20 Oct. 1755. He was an ensign in Shepard's (4th) 
reg. ; com. lieut. 27 May, 1782, and was in Sprout's (2d) 
reg. 1783. He was a man of elegant person and accom- 
plishments, and his love of military life surpassed that of 
either of his brothers Salem or Sylvanus, both of whom 
served in the Revolutionary army. Dazzled by the victories 
of Bonaparte in Italy in 1797, he left home with the inten- 
tion of joining him, declaring that it was the highest am- 
bition of his life to serve with such a chief, and was never 
afterward heard from. 

His descent from William,^ of Salem, 1640, was through Jacobj^ 
and Catharine Symonds ; Johnf b. 1658, d. 1740; Deacon Jona- 
than^ b. 1691, d. 1771 ; JacoV^ (his father). 

David, son of Shippie Townsend (who d. 31 Aug. 
1798), by his second wife, Mrs. Ann Balch, dau. of Dea- 
con Jonathan Kettell of Charlestown, Mass., was b. in 
Boston, 7 Jan. 1753, and d. there 13 Apr. 1829. He grad. 
at H. U. in 1770, receiving from that institution the de- 
gree of M.D. in 1813. 

Dr. Townsend studied medicine under Dr. Joseph 
Warren, and was at Cambridoe in 1775. After the battle 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 483 

of Bunker's Hill, he assisted in dressing the wounded, and 
remained at Cambridge until commissioned by the colony 
of Massachusetts Bay, 12 July, 1775, as surgeon in Col. 
Jonathan Brewer's reg. Jan. 1, 1776, he was commissioned 
surgeon 6th reg.. Col. Asa Whitcomb. In Mar. 1777, he 
was app. senior surgeon in the General Hospital of the 
Northern department with the army for the invasion of 
Canada. 

On the reorganization of the army, under the resolve of 
Congress, to take effect 1 Jan. 1781, he received a com- 
mission, 10 Oct. 1780, signed by S. Huntington, President 
of Congress. Reappointed, 9 Oct. 1781, to date 10 Oct. 
1780, signed by Thomas McKean, President of Congress, 
as surgeon General Hospital Department. Under another 
organization he received an appointment in 1782 from Gen. 
Lincoln, Secretary of War. He remained with the army 
till its final disbandment at Newburg, after which he 
practised his profession with reputation in Boston for 
many years. He was Secretary of the Society in 1807-21 ; 
Vice-Pres. 1821-25 ; Pres. 1825-29. Dr. Townsend m. 
24 May, 1785, Elizabeth Davis, by whom he had nine 
children. 

DAVID S * TOWNSEND. 

Eldest son of Dr. David, whom he succ. in 1830 ; b. 
Boston, 9 Apr. 1790, d. there 28 Jan. 1853 ; H. U. 1809. 
Com. 1st lieut. 9th U. S. Inf. 6 July, 1812 ; capt. 13 May, 
1813 ; lost his right leg at Chrystlers Fields, Canada, 11 
Nov. 1813 ; major and acting adjutant-gen. 27 July, 1814 ; 
battalion paym. 29 Apr. 1816 ; paym. May, 1821. Assist. 
Treas. of the Society, 1841-45 ; Treas. 1845-47. He m. 
7 Nov. 1816, Eliza, dau. of Hon. Elbridge Gerry, by whom 
he had five children. 

* Not an initial, but employed to distinguish him from otiiers bearing the 
name of David Townsend. Hon. Franklin B Hough and Isaac P Davis 
are instances of a similar kind. 



48-i BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 



EDWARD DAVIS TOWNSEND. 

Son of David S, whom he succ. m 1870; b. Boston, 22 
Aug. 1817 ; West Point Military Acad., and com. 2d lieut. 
2d U. S. art. 1 July, 1837 ; 1st lieut. 16 Sept. 1838 ; adj. 
7 July, 1838 ; assist, adj.-gen., rank of capt., 8 Aug. 1846 ; 
major, 15 July, 1852 ; lieut.-col. 7 Mar. 1861 ; col. 3 Aug. 
1801; adj.-gen. U. S. A., rank of brigadier-gen., 22 Feb. 
1869. He served in Florida during the war with the 
Seminoles, 1837-38 ; and during the Rebellion of the 
seceding States as chief-of-staff to Lieut.-Gen. Scott, Mar. 7 
— Nov. 1, 1861 ; as assist, adj.-gen. 1861-63, and as acting 
adj.-gen. of the army, 1863-65. Brev. brig. -gen. U. S. A. 
24 Sept. 1864 ; and brev. major-gen. U. S. A. 13 Mar. 1865, 
for faithful, meritorious, and distinguished service during 
the Rebellion. 

He m. 9 May, 1848, Ann Overing, dan. of Col. R. D. Wain- 
wright, U. S. Marine Corps. His eldest son, Thomas G., is now 
2d Kent. Gth U. 8. Inf. 

He was of Worcester, and d. there in Apr. 1795. He 
was com. capt.-lieut. in Knox's art. 1 Jan. 1776 ; capt. 
in Crane's art. 1 Jan. 1777, and at the close of the war 
was the oldest capt. in the line of artillery. He served at 
the siege of Boston, battle of Long Island, and in many 
engagements during the war. His widov/ Mar}', b. 1747, 
was living, in 1830. His daughters Abigail and Eliza 
were living in Boston in 1850. 

Htmutl ^rfscott. 

He was b. in 1751 ; d. Lubec, Me., 10 Aug. 1826. He 
served his time with Hopestill Capen, a carpenter in Bos- 
ton, and was orderly-sergeant of Capt. Joseph Peirce's Co. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 485 

of Boston " Grenadiers," and with Lieut. Henry (after- 
ward Gen.) Knox brought it to a high state of proficiency. 
He was a captain in Jonathan Brewer's reg. at Bunker's 
Hill ; was com. major of Henry Jackson's (16th) reg. 20 
JNIay, 1778, and served through the war with the reputa- 
tion of an excellent disciplinarian and an active and vigi- 
lant officer. On Oct. 3d, 1781, he with 100 men crossed 
the Sound to Long Island, surprised Fort Slongo, and 
brought off its garrison with a quantity of arms, ammu- 
nition, clothing, &c. He commanded a battalion of light 
infantry under La Fa3'ette, enjoyed the confidence of 
Washington, and was an upright, humane, and patriotic 
man. Li 1783 he was in Brooks's reg. ; app. major 2d 
U. S. Inf. 4 Mar.; resigned, 28 Dec. 1791; app. col. of 
inf. 9 Apr. 1812, — declined; Collector of U. S. Revenue 
for Machias, Me., 1808-11 ; and of Passamaquoddy, Me., 
1812-18. 

Probably a descendant of WiUtam -^ Trescott, a freeman of Dor- 
chester in 1613, through Joh^' who d. there in 1741, va. 80. 

His 1st wife, Susannah, d. 14 July, 1804, ae. 50 ; Rebecca, his 2d 
wife, d. Lubec, Me., 21 Apr. 1836, k. 74. 

He was ensign in Joseph Read's reg. at the siege of 
Boston ; com. lieut. and adj. in R. Putnam's (5th) reg. 11 
June, 1777 ; capt. 18 Oct. 1780. Died before 1812. 

2Ltit!jcr ^roUiijritrtje, 

He was b. Framingham, Mass., 3 June, 1756 ; d. Albany, 
19 Feb. 1802 ; com. heut. in Brooks's (7th) reg. 1 Jan. 
1777 ; adjutant (same reg.), 1780-83 ; brigade quarterm. 
1783. 

His descent from T7wmas,^ who came from Taunton, Eng., to Dor- 
chester, as early as 1636, settled in New Haven in 1639, returned 



486 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

to Eng., and d. Taunton, 7 Feb. 1G72, was through James^ b. Dor- 
chester, 1G36, d. 22 May, 1717, who m. 30 Jan. 1674, Margaret, 
dau. of Deacon John Jackson; Thomas,^ b. 9 Dec. 1677, d. ab. 
1725, in New London; John,'^ b. 1701-2, d. 10 May, 1772, and 
Mehetable Eaton; Thomas^ {h\^ father), b. 1 Apr. 1734, d. 12 
Jan. 1804, and Hannah Perry. 

He m. Elizabeth, dau. of Major John Tillman, who d. Detroit, 
Oct. 1845, ai. 84. Children : — 

Hannah, 18 June, 1782, d. 1816. 

Edmund A., 14 Dec. 1784, d. 1816. 

Jonathan Valentine, 14 Feb. 1787, d. 1787. 

Eliza S., 18 Dec. 1788. 

Jonathan Thomas, 21 Mar. 1791, d. 1815. 

Stephen Van R., 4 July, 1794, resides near Deti-oit. 

Margaret, 24 June, 1796, d. 1800. 

Ann Maria, 6 Sept. 1798, d. 1800. 

Charles C, Dec. 1800, resides Detroit. 

Joscpij ^Tucfeer, 

He was, Aug. 19, 1775, app. 2cl lieut. in Capt. Francis 
Shaw's Co. to be raised in Gouldsboro', Narraguagiis, 
Number Four (now Harrington) and Pleasant River, for 
the defence of the sea coast (District of Maine) ; was 
com. ensign in Brooks's (7th) reg. in 1777; lieut. 9 Feb. 
1780, and was paym. in 1780-83. During the war he 
visited York, Me., in company with his relative. Commodore 
Samuel Tucker, then superintending the construction of 
a 20 gun-ship called the " Minerva," which was intended 
by her owner, Capt. John Stone, for a " letter of marque." 
He there made the acquaintance of Mary, dau. of Capt. 
Stone, who was a descendant on her mother's side from 
Gov. Bradstreet of Mass., married her, and purchasing the 
wharf and other property of his father-in-law remained 
there and established himself in business. He was Col- 
lector of Customs for the Port of York, from 1793 to 
1804 ; town treasurer for many years and until his death 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 487 

(ab. 1812), and influential in town affairs. His successor 
in the Society is Wm. Pitt Preble, Esq., of Portland. 

Of the two daughtei's and only children of Lieut. Tucker, Mary 
Ann, the younger, ra. Louis A. de Creney, a French political refu- 
gee, and a man of education, and d. 1836 ; the elder, Nancy Gale, 
m. 7 Sept. 1810, Judge William Pitt Preble, who d. Portland, Me., 
11 Oct. 1857, sa. 73, who had two daughters and one son. 

SSa^iHi am Cutror, 

He was b. Boston, 28 Mar. 1750, d. there 8 July, 1819 ; 
H. U. 1769. Deacon John Tudor his father, who was 
brought by his mother from Devonshire in 1715, was for 
about forty-two years treasurer of the Second (Old North) 
Church, Boston, and d. in 1796, se. 86. He was by trade 
a baker, and was an honorable and useful citizen. Wil- 
liam after his graduation studied law with John Adams ; 
was admitted to the bar, 27 July, 1772, and became emi- 
nent in the profession. As colonel and judge-advocate- 
general of the army, he was, from 29 July, 1775, to 1778, 
attached to the staff of the Commander-in-chief, after 
which he resumed practice in his native city. In 1777 he 
conducted with marked ability the defence of Col. David 
Henle}^, arrested on the accusation of Gen. Burgoyne for 
military oppression, and tried by a court-martial. Henley, 
who had charge of the Saratoga prisoners, was acquitted, 
in spite of the eloquence of Burgoyne, who did his utmost 
to procure his conviction. Col. Tudor was a member of 
the House and Senate of Mass., and in 1809-10 Secre- 
tary of State. Vice-Pres. of the Soc. of the Cin. in 
1811-19, and delivered the 4th of July oration before 
that body in 1790. One of the founders of the Mass. 
Hist. Soc. He delivered an elegant and spirited oration 
on the Boston Massacre, 5 Mar. 1779, and a discourse 
before the Mass. Charitable Fire Society in 1798. 



488 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

He m. 5 Mar. 1778, Delia Jarvis, who d. Washington, D.C., 17 
Sept. 1843, 06. 90. They had three sous and two daughters : one of 
whom m. Robert Hallowell, Gardiner ; tlie other m. Charles Stew- 
art, afterward commodore U. S. N. 

WILLIAM TUDOR. 

Eldest son of William, whom he succ. in 1820 ; b. Bos- 
ton, 28 Jan. 1779 ; d. Rio Janeiro, 9 Mar. 1830 ; H. U. • 
1796. He projected in Dec. 1814, and for some time 
edited the " North American Review," which still holds 
its place as the leading American critical periodical ; was 
the agent of his brother Frederic, founder of the ice 
traffic with tropical climes in Nov. 1805 ; and was after- 
ward engaged in other commercial transactions in Europe. 
He also founded the Boston Athenaeum in 1807, and origi- 
nated the present Bunker's Hill Monument. He was a 
member of the Mass. Legislature ; in 1823 was app. consul 
at Lima ; and in 1827 was aj)p. cliarge d'affaires at the 
court of Brazil, where he negotiated a treaty, his last 
public service. Li 1809 he delivered the 4th of July 
oration at Boston, and in 1810 he prepared the Phi Beta 
Kappa address for Harvard University. Besides his con- 
tributions to periodical literature, he was the author of 
" Letters on the Eastern States," " Life of James Otis," 
and " Gebel Teir." 

FREDERIC TUDOR. 

Brother of William, whom he succ. in 1834 ; b. 4 Sept. 
1783; d. 6 Feb. 1864. Founder of the ice trade and a 
distinguished horticulturist. 

His eldest son, Frederic, b. 1845, H. U. 1867, a railroad engi- 
neer by profession, was admitted to succ. his father in the Society 
in 1871. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 489 

Eldest son of Gen. Berjamin TupjDer ; b. Chesterfield, 
Mass., 1763 ; d. Marietta, O., 25 Dec. 1808. He was with 
his father in the engagement on the North River in Aug. 
1776 ; was com. lieut. and adjutant in his father's (11th) 
reg. 26 Sept. 1780 ; served through the war, and removed 
to Ohio in 1788. 

He was b. in that part of Stoughton, Mass., now called 
Sharon, in 1738, being the youngest of eight children of 
his parents, seven of whom were sons. His father died 
when he was quite young, and he was apprenticed to a 
tanner in Dorchester named Witliington. At sixteen he 
went to Easton, and labored on a farm until after his marriage 
in 1762, when he removed to Chesterfield. He served two 
or three years as a private soldier in the French war 
(1757-63), and during two or three winters kept a dis- 
trict school in Easton. On the breaking out of the Revo- 
lutionary war he was a lieut. of militia. Joining the army 
in Cambridge as major of Fellows's reg. in May, 1775, he 
with 300 men went to Lighthouse Island, 31 July, 1775 ; 
attacked the British guard, which was killed or captured ; 
and burnt all the buildings. Com. lieut.-col. of Ward's 
reg. 4 Nov. 1775 ; of John Bailey's reg. 1 Nov. 1776 ; col. 
11th reg. 7 Jul}^ 1777 ; transferred to the 10th, 8 Jan. 
1781, and to the 6th on Oct. 30, 1782. He was present 
at the siege of Boston ; the battles with Burgoyne and at 
Monmouth, where he had a horse killed under him ; was 
app. inspector of Paterson's brigade, 29 Mar. 1778 ; and at 
the close of the war was made a brig. -gen. by brevet. In 
Aug. 1776, he commanded a number of gunboats or galleys 
on the North River, and had a spirited engagement with 

62 



490 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

some British ships, in which officers and men behaved witli 
great bravery. After the war he returned to Chestertiekl, 
which he represented in the Mass. Legislature. With Gen. 
Rufus Putnam lie originated and founded the " Ohio Com- 
pany," and made the first surveys of lands north-west of 
the Ohio in 1786. Returning from this duty, he actively 
assisted Gen. Shepard in quelling Shays's rebellion ; remov- 
ing with his family to Ohio, he arrived at Marietta Aug. 9, 
1788 ; engaged actively in promoting the plans and inter- 
ests of the Ohio Company, and was a justice of the quorum 
of the first civil court in the North-west Territory from 
Sept. 9, 1788, to his death in June, 1792. 

He m. at Easton, 18 Nov. 1762, Huldah White, who d. Spring- 
field, now Putnam, O., 21 Feb. 1812. They had seven children, 
three sons and four daughters : — 

Anselm. 

Edward White, brig.-gen. of Ohio vols,, serving under Harri- 
son in 1812, who d. Gallipolis, O., 1823. 

Col. Benjamin, d. Putnam, O., 1815, who left a son, Edward W., 
of Putnam, O. 

RowENA, m. Winthrop Sargent, and d. Marietta, 1790. 

Sophia, m. Nathaniel Wyllis of Ct., d. Oct. 1789. 

Minerva, m. Col. Ichabod Nye, d. Marietta, Apr. 1836. 

JonatJjau i^untci\ 

He was of Scituate ; lieut. in Marshall's (10th) reg. 
1777; com. capt. 4 Oct. 1780; in Putnam's (5th) reg. in 
1783 ; and was a pensioner, and living in Scituate in 1820. 

His descent from Humphrey^ Turner, o^ Plymouth, 1628, after- 
ward of Scituate, d. 1673, and Lydia Garner, was through John{- 
Sen., b. Eng., m. 12 Nov. 1645, Mary, dau. of Jonathan Brewster ; 
Jonathan^ b. 20 Sept. 1646, who m. Martha, dau. of Elisha Bes- 
bedge ; Jesse ^ (his father). 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 491 



PEREZ TURNER. 

Eldest son of Perez, son of Jonathan, whom he succ. in 
1827 ; resides in South Scituate, Mass. 

He was the son of Capt. Marlboro and Mary (Curtis) 
Turner, of Hanover, Mass. ; was bapt. 30 July, 1757, and 
was a pensioner, living in 1824. Ensign in Bailey's (2d) 
reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; com. lieut. 10 Aug. 1781 ; in 5th reg. in 
1783. 

His descent fi'om T/iomas^ Turner, of Hingham, 1G39, who m. 
6 Jan. 1652, Sarah, dau. of Thomas Hyland, and d. Nov. 1688, 
was through Thomas^^ of Scituate, 1680; Caleb,^ h. 1691; CajJt. 
Marlboro'^ (his father). 

He m. 7 Jan. 1790, Deborah Stockbridge. 

l^elcfl burner.* 

He was of Scituate ; was lieut. and quartern!, in Mar- 
shall's (10th) reg., served four years, and d. before 1812. 

He was com. captain, 8 May, 1776 ; in Bradford's (14th) 
reg. 24 Apr. 1779; in H. Jackson's reg. 1781-82; in 
Brooks's reg. 1783. After the war he joined the N. Y. 
Society by transfer, and d. before 1812. 

His descent from Humphrey^ of Scituate, was through Thomas ^ 
and Sarah Hyland ; Thomas ^ and Hannah, dau. of Edward Jack- 
son ; Ephraim* (his father), b. 1693, and Dorothy Fay. 

* His month's pay was never contributed to the Society. 



492 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 



22lijal) Vont. 

He Avas the son of Elijah and Sarah (Bent) Vose ; was b. 
Mihon, Mass., 24 Feb. 1744, d. there 19 Mar. 1822. Cap- 
tain in Heath's, afterward Greaton's (24th) reg. early in 
1775; present at the siege of Boston, and promoted to 
major ; com. lieut.-col. of the reg. of his brother Joseph 
(1st), 21 Feb. 1777, and served with credit through the 
war, in which four of the brothers were engaged. Moses 
and Bill, younger brothers, both held responsible stations, 
the latter being a paymaster. 

His descent from Robert^ Vose, of Dorchester, who d. 16 Oct. 
1683, iTB. 84, was through Echcard;- who d. 29 Jan. 1716, lb. 80, and 
wife Abigail; Kathaniel,^ h. 17 Nov. 1672, d. Oct. 1753, who m. 
1696, Mary Belcher; Elijah* (his father), b. 1707. 

He liad two children, Elijah and Ruth, who m. Eben Breed 
of Cliarlestown. 

HON. ELIJAH VOSE. 

Eldest son of Elijah, whom he su?c. in 1822 ; b. Milton, 
Mass., 1 Jan. 1790 ; d. Boston, Mass., 12 Aug. 1856. 

HON. HENRY VOSE. 

Eldest son of Hon. Elijah, whom he succ. in 1860 ; 
H. U. 1837 ; associate justice of the Superior Court of Mass. 
from 1859 to his death, in Boston, 17 Jan. 1869. 

FRANCIS VOSE. 

Grandson of Col. Elijah and brother of Hon. Henry, 
whom he succ. in 1870 ; resides in Boston. 

He was b. Milton, 7 Dec. 1739, d. there 22 May, 1816, 
on the estate which had been in possession of the family 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 493 

since 1654. He was chosen col. of the district militia in 
Nov. 1774 ; and was also major of Heath's Suffolk reg. 
On 27 May, 1775, he collected a force of 60 men and 
burnt the lighthouse, destroying the hay and other stores 
at Nantasket and on the islands in Boston Harbor, much 
to the annoyance of Gen. Gage, then beleaguered with his 
army in Boston. Com. lieut.-col. of Greaton's (24tli) 
reg. 4 Nov. 1775, and accompanied it after the evacuation 
of Boston to Canada ; com. colonel 1st IMass. reg. 21 Feb. 
1777, and joined the main army under Washington in New 
Jersey a few weeks later ; was present at Monmouth, and 
in Sullivan's campaign in R.I. in 1778; app. col. (17 Feb. 
1781) of a reg. of light infantry, with which he participated 
in the siege of Yorktown and surrender of CornwalHs, and 
at the close of the war was made brig.-gen. by brevet. 
He passed the rest of his days upon his native farm. 

He m. 5 Nov. 1761, Sarah, dau. of Josiah Howe. Children: — 
Sarah, 29 July, 17G2, m. Dr. George Osgood of Andover. 
Makgaret, 4 Nov. 1763, m. Ezekiel Savage. 
Dolly, 20 Nov. 1765, m. Davis Sumner. 

Nancy (twin with Dolly), m. Elisha Sumner, and had Gen. Ed- 
win Vose. 
Solomon, 22 Feb. 1768, d. Augusta, 11 Aug. 1809. 
Naomi, 31 Oct. 1769, m. Joseph Heath. 
Joseph, 19 Oct. 1771, d. unm. Aug. 1825. 
Isaac D., 22 Oct. 1773. 
Elijah, 28 July, 1775. 
Elizabeth Eliot, 2 Oct. 1782. 
JosiAH Howe, 8 Aug. 1784, d. N. Orleans, 15 July, 1845. 

ISAAC D. VOSE. 

Third son of Joseph, whom he succ. in 1816 ; b. Milton, 
22 Oct. 1773 ; d. a Avidower without issue at Norfolk, Va,, 
2 Oct. 1835. 



49J: BIOGRx\PIIICAL NOTICES OF THE 

RUFUS CHANDLER VOSE. 

Son of Solomon and Elizii P. (Chandler) Vose, and 
grandson of Col. Joseph ; succ. Isaac D. Vose in 1837 ; b. 
29 June, 1798; merchant at Augusta, Me.; adjutant-gen. 
of the State m 1838, and d. ab. 1842. He m. Mary, 
dan. of Judge Bridge of Augusta, by whom he had six 
children. 

REV. JA]\IES GARDINER VOSE. 

Son of Col. Josiah H. and grandson of Col. Joseph 
Vose : succ. R. C. Vose in 1865; his father, a merchant of 
Augusta, and afterward col. of the 4th U. S. Infantry ; m. 
in May, 1808, Charlotte Cushing of Boston. James G., 
their youngest child, was b. Augusta ab. 1830 ; Y. C. 
1851 ; Andover Tlieol. Seminary, 1854 ; ordained a Con- 
gregational clergyman, 20 Oct. 1857 ; Professor of Rhetoric 
at Amherst College, 1856-1)5 ; since then pastor of the 
Benefit Street Church, Providence. 

srijomas Tout. 

He was the son of Jonathan and ]\Iary Vose, of JNlilton ; 
was b. 8 May, 1753 ; and d. Thomaston, Me., 28 Dec. 
1810. He was com. 2d lieut. in Thomas Peirce's company 
of Gridley's art. reg. 8 May, 1775 ; transferred, 1 Jan. 1776, 
to Knox's art. reg. ,• com. 1st lieut. Crane's art. reg. 1 Jan. 
1777 ; capt. (same reg.) 2 Dec. 1778 ; was one of the offi- 
cers who guarded Major Andre prior to that officer's exe- 
cution, and was in many of the prominent battles of the 
war, continuing in the service six months after the dis- 
banding of the army. He then entered into mercantile 
business in Watertown, Mass., with his companions-in- 
arms. Major Daniel Jackson and Capt. John George, but 
removed in 1787, at the solicitation of his friend Gen. Knox, 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 495 

to Thomaston, Me., where he was associated in business 
with the general until 1804. Their friendship commenced 
during the war, when he was often selected to escort Mrs. 
Knox, considered by a young officer as a gratifying proof 
of his commander's favor. He superintended the build- 
ing of the Knox mansion, attended at the bedside of his 
dying friend, and was one of the appraisers of his estate. 
Capt. Vose was three years surveyor of the port of Thom- 
aston, and superintended in 1809 the erection of the fort 
on George's River, Me. He was a man of fine physical 
development and remarkable strength ; and possessed 
great executive business ability and judgment and high 
moral worth. 

He m. in 1784 Sarah, dau. of John, and sister of Capt. John 
George of Quincy, who d. Thomaston, Me , 20 Feb. 1835, a3. 79. 
Children : — 

Mary, 2G Sept. 178.3, d. 2 Jan. 18.34, m. IG May, 1811, Capt. 
Archibald Kobinsou. 

Sarah, d. 1793. 

Margaret, d. 1793. 

Lucy, b. 23 Apr. 1791, m. 30 .Jan. 1815, Capt. Wm. Henderson, 
of Cushing, Me., d. 19 July, 1825. 

Thomas, d. 1793. 

Sarah George, 4 Oct. 1794, m. Dea. James Partridge. 

Thomas P., b. 13 Sept. 1796, d. unm. 10 May, 1832. 

William, 24 Dec. 1798, resides in Thomaston. 

James, 23 Mar. 1800, m. 10 Jan. 1833, Sophia Andrews of War- 
ren, Me., resides Thomaston, Me. His son, Thomas 0., resides 
Charlestown Navy Yard. 

He was of Lancaster, and was living on a government 
pension in 1820 ; Avas an ensign in Marshall's (10th) reg. ; 
was com. a lieut. 4 Oct. 1780, and was in the 6th reg. 
in 1783. 



496 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 



He was com. a lieut. and iDaym. in Sliepard's (4tli) reg. 
in 1777 ; was retired, 1 Jan. 1783, after serving through 
the entire period of the war ; and d. in 1802. He m. Abi- 
gail, sister of James Lovell, who survived him. 

He enlisted as a sergt. in N. WatkinS's Co. of E. Phin- 
ney's reg. in 1775 ; was com. ensign, 15 Apr. 1776 ; was 
com. lieut. in the 12th reg. in 1777 ; capt. 15 July, 1779 ; 
in 2d reg. (Sprout's) in 1783, and served to the end of 
the war. He d. Windsor, Mass., in Jan. 1834. 

He was b. Salem, Mass., 29 Jan. 1760 ; d. Rumford 
Point, Me., 5 Mar. 1849. After some years' service in 
the army, during wdiich he took part in several battles, 
and finally in the light inf. at the siege of Yorktown, he 
was com. ensign in Vose's (1st) reg. 18 Jan. 1782. He 
was attached to the corps of La Fayette, and was pre- 
sented with a sword by the IVIarquis at the close of the 
war. He always referred with pride to the fact that he 
welcomed Washington at the Theological Seminary in 
behalf of the people of Andover, when the President 
visited that town. He d. and was buried on the same day 
with his son Joseph H. 

WILLIAM H. WARDWELL. 

Son of Josepli H., and grandson of Lieut. Joseph, whom 
he succ. in 1857. He is a photographer in Boston. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 497 

He enlisted as a corporal in Fernald's Co. of E. 
Phinney's reg. in 1775 ; was promoted to sergt. 17 Apr. 
1776 ; was com. ensign in S. Brewer's (12th) reg. in Mar. 
1777; lient. in Sprout's (12tli) reg. 7 Apr. 1779, and 
served through the war, at the close of which he was in 
Vose's (1st) reg. 

He was the son of James and Mercy (Otis) Warren, of 
Plymouth ; b. 1747 ; d. unm. in Lynn, Mass., 6 Sept. 1821. 
His mother, a woman of considerable literary taste, was 
a sister of the celebrated orator, James Otis ; and liis father 
was President of the Provincial Congress in 1775, and 
afterward speaker of the House of Representatives. James, 
Jr., was a lieut. in the Revolutionary navy, in which, up 
to May, 1780, he had served four years ; was adm. a 
member of the Society in 1796, and prior to his removal to 
Lynn was for some years postmaster of Plymouth. He 
grad. H. U. 1776. 

His descent from Richard^ Warren, the Pilgrim, who d. 1628, 
and his wife Elizabeth Marsh, who d. 1673, was through Nathaniel^-^ 
who d. 1667, who m. Sarah Walker (d. 1700) ; James,^ b. 1G65, 
d. 1715, who m. in 1687 Sarah Doty (d. 1715) ; James,'^ b. 1700, d. 
1757, m. ,1724, Penelope Winslow ; James ^ (his father), b. 1726, 
d. 1808, and Mercy (Otis), d. 1814. 

HENRY WARREN. 

Only brother of James, whom he succ. in 1825 ; b. Ply- 
mouth, 1764, d. there 6 July, 1828. He was for many 
years collector for the district of Plymouth, and was emi- 
nent for his social qualities and for hospitality. 

He m. in 1791 Mary, dau. of Pelham Winslow, and a descend- 
ant of Peregrine White, who d. 1828. Cliildren: — 

63 



498 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Marcia Otis, m. John Torrey. 

Wins LOW. 

Pelham Winslow, m. Jeanette Taylor, d, 1848. 

Charles Henry, m. Abby B. Hedge. 

James, d. young. 

Mart Ann, d. 1834. 

Richard, m. Angelina Greenwood. 

George, m. Elizabeth Hedge. 

Edward James, m. Mary P. Coffin. 

WINSLOW WARREN, M.D. 

He was the eldest son of Henry, whom he succ. in 1829 ; 
H. U. 1813 ; M.D. (University of Pennsylvania) 1817 ; 
practised medicine in Plymouth ; d. there 10 June, 1870. 
Vice-President Mass. Soc. Cin. 1866-70. He m. Mar- 
garet Bartlett. 

WINSLOW WARREN. 

Only son of Dr. Winslow and Margaret (Bartlett) 
Warren; succ. his father in 1870; H. U. 1858; LL.B. 
Cambridge Law School, 1861 ; is a counsellor-at-law in 
Boston, and resides in Dedham, Mass. 

He was an ensign in Bigelow's (15th) reg. : was com. 
lieut. in R. Putnam's (5th) reg. 19 May, 1782 ; and was 
living on a government pension in N.Y. in 1820. 

JOHN COLLINS WARREN, M.D. 

Eldest son of Dr. John and Abigail (Collins) Warren, 
and nephew of Gen. Joseph Warren ; was admitted in 
1854 under the rule adopted in May of that year, having 
been elected an honorary member in 1847. He was b. 
Boston, 1 Aug. 1778, d. there 4 May, 1856 ; H. U. 1797. 
He studied medicine with his father, a distinguished prac- 
titioner, and in the hospitals of London and Paris ; began 




y:^, ^ 



Professor or' Anatomy 



Harvard Universitv from 1806. to 1846 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 499 

practice in Boston in 1802, and became especially eminent 
as a surgeon, being in 1846 the first to use ether in surgical 
operations. He was assistant professor of anatomy and 
surgery in H. U. in 1806-15 ; full professor in 1815-47, 
and afterward emeritus professor ; was one of the founders 
of the Mass. General Hospital in 1820, and principal 
surgeon in daily attendance until his death ; was also a 
founder of the McLean Asylum for the Insane ; was Pres- 
ident of the Mass. Medical Society in 1832-36, and of the 
Boston Society of Natural History at his death ; and was 
a member of the principal scientific bodies in America and 
Europe. He devoted much of his later life to the natural 
sciences ; and his collections in comparative anatomy, 
osteology, and paleontology, one of the largest and most 
valuable private collections in the world, included the most 
perfect mastodon known to exist. He was an ardent 
friend to temperance, and for many years President of 
the Mass. Temperance Society. He was chiefly instru- 
mental in founding, and was from 1828 associate editor 
of the " Boston Medical and Surgical Journal," and wrote 
and published many treatises upon medical and other 
subjects. His " Life, with Autobiography and Journals," 
by Edward Warren, was published in two vols, in 1860. 

His descent from John ^ Warren, who came to Charlestown in 
1630, and who was probably the father of Peter f b. 1G28, d. Bos- 
ton, 15 Nov. 1704, who m. 1 Aug. 1660, Sarah, dau. of Robert 
Tucker of Dorchestei', was through '^osepA,^ b. 19 Feb. 1663, d. 
Roxbury, 13 July, 1729, who m. Deborah, dau. of Samuel Williams ; 
Joseph," b. 2 Feb. 1696, d. 25 Oct. 1755, who m. 29 May, 1740, 
Mary, dau. of Dr. Samuel Stevens, and who was the father of Gen. 
Joseph and Dr. John Warren. 

He m. 17 Nov. 1803, Susan Powell, dau. of Hon, Jonathan 
Mason, who d. 3 June, 1841. Children: — 

John, b. 16 Sept. 1804, d. young, 

Susan Powell, 23 July, 1806, m. Charles Lyman, 4 Apr, 1827. 



500 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Jonathan ]\L4.son. 

James Sullivan, 21 Nov. 1812, m. 27 Aug. 184G, Elizabeth 

Lin zee Greene. 
Mart Collins, 19 Jan. 1816, m. 2G Oct. 1842, Thomas Dwight. 
Emily, 10 May, 1818, m. William Appleton, 9 Oct. 1845. 

JONATHAN MASON WARREN, M.D. 

Son of Dr. John C, whom he succ. in 1863 ; b. Boston, 5 
Feb. 1811, d. there 19 Aug. 1867. He received his medical 
degree from H. U. in 1832 ; practised medicine in his 
native city, and was the author of numerous monographs 
on special subjects, the latest of which, " Surgical Obser- 
vations, with Cases and Operations," was finely illus- 
trated. He m. 30 Apr. 1839, Anna, dau. of Hon. B. W. 
Crowninshield. 

JOHN COLLINS WARREN, M.D. 

Only son of Dr. J. M. Warren, whom he succ. in 1871 ; 
received bis medical degree in 1866 from H. U., where 
be had grad. A.B. in 1863 ; and is a physician of Boston. 

He was an ensign in Fellows's reg. in May — Dec. 1775 ; 
lieut. in Ward's (21st) reg., and present at the siege of 
Boston ; afterward in Wesson's (9th) reg., of which he 
was com. capt. 26 Jul}^, 1779 ; in Greaton's (3d) reg., and 
captured near White Plains, N.Y., 3 Feb.- 1780, by Col. 
Norton ; in Mellen's (3d) reg. in 1783. He d. in Lincoln, 
Mass., in Mar. 1828, sd. 83. 

He was an ensign in John Nixon's reg. in 1776 ; lieut. 
in T. Nixon's (6th) reg. in 1777 ; com. capt. 13 Apr. 1780 ; 
left the army in 1783; and d. a government pensioner, 21 
July, 1819. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 501 

He was of Holden, Mass., and was living on a govern- 
ment pension in 1823, at tKe age of 80 ; was a lieut. in 
Ebenezer Francis's reg. in 1776 ; com. capt. in Shepard's 
(4tli) reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; retii'ed, 1 Jan. 1783. 

Daniel ^SHetter- 

He was an ensign and afterward 2d lieut. in Bailey's 
(2d) reg. ; com. 1st lieut. 30 Aj>r. 1782; in Sprout's (2d) 
reg. 1783; d. Sanford, Me., 1 Feb. 1827. 

Hltsf)a 223[cninflton* 

He was an ensign, and 26 July, 1782, was com. lieut. in 
Greaton's (3d) reg. ; and d. ab. 1801 in Concord, Mass., 
leaving a widow Lucy. 

ELISHA WELLINGTON. 

Eldest son of Lieut. Elisba, whom he succ. in 1804 ; 
b. Concord, Mass., 11 Feb. 1781 ; deceased. 

iScnfamin 231cUs, 

He was an ensign in Yose's (1st) reg. in 1777 ; was 
com. lieut. 4 May, 1780, served till 1783, and d. 3 June, 
1828, leaving a widow Lucy, who d. Boston, 5 Feb. 1865, 
£e. 84. 

Jamts 2[23eas. 

James, afterward named James A. Wells, son of Ashbel 
and Abigail (KeUog) Wells, was b. Hartford, Ct., in 
1760, d. there 23 Feb. 1806. He was quite delicate as 
a boy, being the only feeble one of those who lived to 
maturity out of a large family of children. Notwithstand- 
ing this circumstance and his extreme youth, he was urgent 



502 BioGRArmcAL notices of the 

to join the army on the outbreak of the Revohitionary war, 
a course which his parents strongly opposed, but in which 
he persisted, and to which they at length consented. Join- 
ing the Mass. 4th (Shepard's) reg. at Boston in 1776, he 
was com. lieut. in Tupper's (11th) reg. 16 Oct. 1780 ; and 
was in H. Jackson's (4th) reg; in 1783. Returning to 
Hartford, he entered upon mercantile pursuits ; but be- 
came embarrassed, and finally lost his capital, with many 
others who made haste to be rich at that time. This 
family has been represented in the four general wars of 
our countr}^ : the Revolution, war of 1812, Mexican war, 
and war of the Rebellion. 

He m. Lucy, dau. of David Bull, and had 4 sons and 4 daugh- 
ters, viz. : — 

Elizabeth, m. Rev. Christopher J. Lawton of Marion, and had 

5 children, one of whom, Thomas Scott Lawton, served in the 

Mexican war. 
Charlotte, d. yoiuig. 
Eleazer M, p. 
James, d. young. 
James. 

Ja3IES B. 

Mary, m. Henry W. Nelson of Castine, Me., and had 3 sons, 

one of whom, Lieut. Franh Hoivard Nelson, was killed at 

Williamsburg, Va., 6 May, 1862. 

REV. ELEAZER MATHER PORTER WELLS, D.D. 

Eldest son of James, whom he succ. in 1829 ; b. Hart 
ford, Ct., 4 Aug. 1793. He served in the Connecticut 
militia in the war of 1812, and was educated at Brown 
University, from which he was expelled in 1819, for re- 
fusing to give information against a class-mate ; after- 
ward, however, receiving his degree. He was licensed as 
a Congregational minister, Mar. 18, 1823, after studjdng 
theology at the Bangor Theol. Instit. ; officiated some time 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 503 

at Plymouth, and in 1824-26 at Calais, Me ; ordained 
deacon in the Protestant Episcopal Church, 7 June, 1826 ; 
priest, 21 June, 1827 ; officiated some months at Christ 
Church, Gardiner, Me. ; then took cliarge of the House 
of Reformation for Juvenile Offenders at Boston, where 
he labored six years (27 Dec. 1827-34) ; founded what is 
now known as the Farm School on Thompson's Island in 
1834, and in 1835 established a school of his own, called 
the School of Moral Discipline, at City Point, South Bos- 
ton. Here he worked hard for some years, until his health 
and strength completely failed him. After a year's rest 
his health was restored ; and in Dec. 1844, he took charge 
of the City Mission in Boston, his present post of labor. 
Having purchased the St. Stephen's House, adjoining the 
St. Stephen's Church property, he added it to the Mission, 
20 Jan. 1847, and gave a deed of the house and land to 
the Corporation. 

He was the son of Francis Wells and Susannah Welsh 
(widow of Ebenezer) ; was b. Cambridge Farms, 23 May, 
1754 ; and d. Boston, 30 Oct. 1799. He was com. 2dlieut. 
in Knox's art. reg. 1 Jan. 1776 ; capt. in Crane's art. reg. 
in 1778 ; and left the army in 1780, after a service of five 
years and three months. Became a member of the Society 
in 1788. 

His father, Francis Wells, son of Francis and Mildread, b. Lond., 
8 Apr. 1691, m. (2d) Susannah, dau. of John and Elizabeth Allen 
of Boston. He came to Boston with his first wife, Mary Elton, 
and three children, in the ship " Hampstead Gaily," of which he 
was master and owner, arriving 12 Aug. 1723. Elizabeth, his dau., 
m. Gov. Samuel Adams. Their dau. Hannah, toward the close of 
1780, was m. to Capt. Thomas Wells. Children: — 

Samuel Adams. 

Elizabeth, who m. Dr. John Randall of Stowe, Mass., and had 
Elizabeth, John, Belinda, Maria, and Anna. 



504 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

Thomas, who m. 1st Belinda, clau. of Col. Lull of "Windsor, Vt. ; 
and 2d (5 Aug. 1821), Anna Maria Foster of Gloucester, 
Mass. Theyhad Belinda ; Thomas Foster, who m. Sarah, dau. 
of Joseph Morrill of Roxbury ; Samuel Adams, m. Angelina 
P. Bates of Springfield, Mass. ; William Vincent, author of 
Life of Samuel Adams, b. 2 Jan. 1826 ; Anna 3Iaria. 

SAMUEL ADAMS WELLS. 

'Eldest son of Capt. Thomas, whom he succ. in 1808 ; b. 
Boston, 1787 ; d. Dorchester, Mass., 12 Aug. 1840. He 
was a tenacious advocate of the Democratic party ; was 
Corresponding Sec. of the " Republican Institution ; " and 
was a delegate to the State Constitutional Convention of 
1820. President of the Atlas Insurance Company, Bos- 
ton. He delivered the oration 4 July, 1819, for the 
Washington Soc, and prepared a manuscript life and 
correspondence of his grandfather, Samuel Adams, in 
3 vols., which he sold to Hon. George Bancroft. 

By his wife Margaret Gale he had — 

Samuel Adams. Elizabeth. Hannah. 

James, a merchant in New York city. 

Catharine, who m. O'Reilly. George. 

He was from Brookline, and after the war settled 
in Marlborough, Mass., where he d. 15 Oct. 1809, ae. 72. 
He was major and afterward lieut.-col. of Loammi Bald- 
win's reg. ; raised and commanded the 9th reg., of which 
he was com. col. 1 Jan. 1777 ; was present at the siege 
of Boston, operations near New York (1776), relief of 
Fort Schuyler in Aug. 1777, battles of Trenton, Sara- 
toga, and Monmouth. At the latter engagement he was 
in Wayne's brigade, and was severely wounded b}^ a 
cannon-ball which peeled the muscles from his back almost 
from shoulder to shoulder. He had — 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 505 

William, who had one dau. and three sons, the eldest of whom 
was James-, Stephen, b. 1775, d. Marlborough, Mar. 1850; 
and a dau. who m. Spur. 

He was the son of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Aspinwall) 
White ; was b. Brooldine, Mass., 27 Nov. 1758 ; d. Sa- 
vannah, Ga., 9 Jan. 1812. Com. ensign in M. Jackson's 
(8th) reg. 1777 ; lieut. 6 Mar. 1778, and served nntil 
1783. Removing to Savannah, Ga., in 1785, he became 
Register of Probate, and was for some years naval officer 
there. 

He was b. Danvers, Mass. ; d. ab. 1817, near Waterford, 
O. He was lieut. of a company of minute-men at the 
battle of Lexington ; lieut. and adj. in Hutchinson's reg. 
at the siege of Boston and invasion of Canada ; was in 
Francis's reg. at Hubbardton ; was a capt. at Trenton ; 
com. capt. in R. Putnam's (5th) reg. 1 Jan. 1777, and in 
the battles ending with Burgoyne's surrender, and served 
to 20 Sept. 1783, when he returned to his home in Salem, 
having been some time in the commissary department under 
Col. Pickering. On 3 Dec. 1787, he led from Salem the 
advance guard of pioneers in the settlement of Marietta, 
O. ; afterward erected Mills at Wolf Creek, and finally 
settled near Waterford. His son Pelatiah left William 
Haffield and several daughters. 

He was b. Lancaster, Mass., 24 Feb. 1760 ; d. Washing- 
ton, D.C., 3 Sept. 1810. He belonged in 1775 to a min- 
ute-company in Billerica, a few miles north of Lexington ; 
and on the morning of the 19th of April marched side 
by side with his father (who had served in the French 

64 



506 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

war of 1756-63) and an elder brother Timotliy (who 
became a captain in the Revolutionary army) to the latter 
place, and shared in the running fight which the British 
had to maintain in their retreat from Concord. Immedi- 
ately joining the army at Cambridge, he was under Arnold 
at Lake Champlain in 1776, and with Gates's army in the 
campaign of 1777 against Burgoyne, during which he was 
com. ensign ; com, lieut. in Sprout's (12th) reg. 5 July, 
1779; adjutant, 1780 ; present at Yorktown. He retired 
to private life at the peace, re-entering the service on the 
increase of the army in 1808 as lieut.-col. 4th Inf. ; was 
com. adj. and inspector of the army, 17 July, 1809 ; and 31 
Dec. 1809, col. of the 5th Inf. He had, while adjutant, pre- 
served the orders issued to the army ; and a portion of these, 
entitled " Revolutionary Orders of Gen. Washington," 
was published in 1841 by his son Gen. Henry Whiting. 

His descent from Rev. Samuel^ Whitmg, b. Boston, Eng., 20 
Nov. 1597, who came to N. Eng. 26 May, and was pastor of the 
first church at Lynn, Mass., from 8 Nov. 1636, to his d. 11 Dec. 
1679, and his wife Elizabeth, only dau. of the Rt. Hon. Oliver St. 
John, was through Rev. Samuel^- b. Skirbeck, Eng., 25 Mar. 1633, 
H. U. 1653, minister of Billerica, Mass., from 11 Nov. 1663, to his 
d. 28 Feb. 1713, who m. 12 Nov. 1656, Dorcas, dau. of Leonard 
Chester; Oliver,^ h. 9> Nov. 1665, a magistrate and representative 
of Billerica, d. 22 Dec. 1736, who m. 22 Jan. 1690, Anna, dau. of 
Capt. Jonathan Danforth; Samuel,* h. 6 Sept. 1702, d. 4 Nov. 
1772; Timothy^ (his father), of Lancaster, b. 24 Feb. 1732, d. 
12 July, 1799, who served in the French war, and who with his 
sons Timothy and John was present at the battle of Lexington. 

Col. Whiting's children were — 

Timothy D., b. 1785, d. 1851, s. p. (captain). 

Julia, 1787 — 1817, s. p. 

Henry, gen. U. S. A., a brave officer and elegant scholar, b. 
1788, d. 16 Sept. 1851. 

Sophia, d. 1853, s, p. 

Fabius (major U. S. A.), d. 1842, s. p. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 507 

Maria, b. 1794 
Solon, b. 1797. 
Caroline Lee b. 1800, authoress, m. 1825, Professor N. M. 

Hentz, cl. 1856. 
Among the children of Gen. Henry Whiting are Henry Macomh, 

U. S. A., and Waiiam Danforth, U. S. N. 

Samuel 2imi)itU)cll, ^M. 

He was b. Boston, 1753 ; cl. Newton, Mass., Nov. 1791 ; 
N.J. Coll. 1774. He studied medicine under Dr. James 
Lloyd; was some time surgeon's mate in Greaton's reg. ; 
was com. surgeon of M. Jackson's (8th) reg. 1 Jan. 1777, 
and served through the war. He delivered the oration 
before the Society, 4 July, 1789. 

He m. in 1783 Lucy Tyler of Boston. Children : — 

Lucy, who m. Amasa Park, 1797. 

John Tyng, 22 Nov. 1784. 

Samuel, 28 July, 178G (of the firm of Whitwell, Bond, & Co., 

auctioneers). 
Elizabeth, 27 Nov. 1788. 

He enlisted in Vose's (1st) reg. in which he was ser- 
geant (in Cushing's Co.) in 1778 ; was promoted to 
ensign, and 11 May, 1781, was com. lieut., serving until 
the army was disbanded. He d. Boston, 4 Dec. 1794, 
£6. 36. 

EBENEZER WILD. 

Eldest son of Ebenezer and Abigail Wild ; succ. his 
father in the Society in 1814, and d. Chelsea, Mass., 10 
July, 1869. 

CHARLES TIDD WILD. 

Eldest son of Ebenezer, whom he succ. in 1871 ; resides 
in Chelsea. 



508 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 



He was the son of Rev. Abraham and Anna (Buckmin- 
ster) Williams, of Sandwich, w^here he was b. 10 Feb. 
1754 ; was com. 2d lieut. in Whitcomb's reg. in 1776 ; 
lieut. 12th reg. 1777; capt. 29 Sept. 1778; and was 
brigade major in 1783. He was an original member of 
the " Ohio Company," and d. in Sandwich in 1795. 

His descent from Abraham '^ Williams, a proprietor of Marlboro' 
in 1GG3, d. 29 Dec. 1712, who m. Joanna, dau. of William and 
Elizabeth Ward, was through William,- d. 30 Aug. 1702, and wife 
Elizabeth; Col. Abraham,^ b. 15 Apr. 1695, d. 10 July, 1781, who 
m. (2d) 22 Dec. 1725, Elizabeth, dau. of Robert Breck, who d. 13 
Jan. 1729 ; Rev. Abraham'^ (his father), b. 25 "Feb. 1757, d. Fram- 
ingham, 8 Aug. 1784, H. U. 17-44, minister of Sandwich from 1749, 
whom. 1751, Anna, dau. of Col. Joseph Buckminster. 

He m. 4 Jan. 1786, Abigail, dau. of Nathaniel Freeman of 
Sandwich, who d. ab. 1834. Children: — 

Anna Buckminster, who m. William Cottrell of Delhi, O. 

Caroline, m. Cottrell, and was living in Cincinnati, O. 

Patit, b. 1789, m. Ellis Nye of Fairfield, Me. 

He was the son of Jonathan Williams, of Lebanon, Ct. ; 
was b. 11 Oct. 1749 ; d. Schoharie, N.Y., 1 July, 1847, 
aged 98. Entering Paterson's (afterward Vose's) reg. 
in Apr. 1775, he was com. 2d lieut. in Sept. 1776 ; 1st 
lieut. 25 Oct. 1777 ; and was acting capt. of Jeremiah 
Miller's Co. from June, 1779, until disbanded in 1783. 
He was on duty in 11 of the 13 States and in Canada; 
was present at Bunker's Hill, the campaign ending in 
Burgoyne's surrender, Valley Forge, Monmouth, and at 
the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown ; made prisoner 
by the Indians in the battle of " The Cedars," 20 May, 
1776, he was robbed by them of his clothing and kept in 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 509 

confinement 10 days, when he was exchanged. He was 
again captured by the enemy in 1780 near West Point. 
At the capture of the two British redoubts at Yorktown, 
he was under the immediate command of Col. Laurens, 
who took his men between the redoubts under a heavy fire, 
taking them in reverse and cutting off the retreat of the 
garrison. The fire of the enemy was so ill-directed that 
Laurens did not lose a man. He removed about 1808 to 
Canandaigua, N.Y. 

His descent from Robert'^ Williams, of Roxbury, 1G37, cl. 1 Sept. 
1693, ae. 86, and wife Elizabeth Strathara, who d. July, 1674, was 
through Deacon Samuel,^ h. Eng. ab. 1632, d. 28 Sept. 1698, who 
m. 2 Mar. 1654, Theoda, dau. of Deacon William Park ; Fark,^ b. 
11 Jan. 1677, d. 1757, and Priscilla, who d. 1742,33.71 ; Ubenezer* 
who settled in Lebanon, Ct., and m. Mary, dau. of Andrew Veach ; 
Jonathan ^ (his father), who m. 26 Sept. 1744, Mary Whitney. 

He was an ensign in Prescott's reg. at Bunker's Hill ; 
was a 1st lieut. in 1776 ; com. capt. 7 July, 1777, in the 
12th reg., and was in Vose's (1st) reg. from 1781 to its dis- 
bandment, 3 Nov. 1783. He belonged in Groton, Mass., 
and d. there 1 July, 1822, se. 81, leaving a widow, Mary 
(Everett). Children: — 

John, 28 Dec. 1770, d. 19 Oct. 1773. 

Molly, 7 July, 1772, d. 24 Sept. 1773. 

John. 

QuiNCT, 10 Oct. 1775. 

Molly, 19 Oct. 1777, d. 7 Nov. 1777. 

LuciNDA, 22 Nov. 1780. 

Molly, 22 Sept. 1782, d. 22 Feb. 1784. 

Lewis, 19 July, 1784. 

Clarissa, 13 Jan. 1786. 

Everett, 26 Apr. 1788, d. 7 June, 1788. 

Persis, 19 May, 1789. 

Everett, 26 Apr. 1791. 



510 " BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 



JOHN WILLIAMS. 

Eldest son of John, Avhom he succ. in 1826 ; b. Groton, 
Mass., 1 Apr. 1774 ; d. m Dover, Mass., leaving a widow, 
Sally B., who was aged 77 in 1859. 

He was the son of Jeremiah and Catharine (Payson) 
Williams ; b. S]3ringfield, Mass., 24 Mar. 1753 ; d. Green- 
wich, Mass., 21 Apr. 1819. He was an ensign in Asa 
Whitcomb's (6th) reg. in 1776 ; was com. capt. in Grea- 
ton's (3d) reg. 1 Jan. 1777 ; served through the war ; and 
during the rebellion of Shays was intrusted by the Secre- 
tary of War, Gen. Knox, with the command of the U. S. 
arsenal at Springfield. He left no issue, and was succ. in 
the Society by his grand-nephew, Henry Howell Williams. 

His descent from Robert^ of Roxbury, was tlirougli Stephen,^ b. 
8 Nov. 1G40, d. 15 Feb. 1720, who m. Sarah, dau. of Joseph AVise; 
Joseph,^ b. 24 Feb. 1682 ; Jeremiah,^ b. 5 Oct. 1718, d. 17G2, who 
m. 1743, Catharine Payson. 

HENRY HOWELL WILLIAMS, JR. 

He was the son of Henry Howell and Sally, dau. of Ed- 
ward Payson Williams, the elder brother of Captain Joseph, 
whom he succ. in 1826 ; and was b. Roxbury, Mass., 1 Mar. 
1804. After an apprenticeship with H. H. Tuckerman in 
the dry-goods business, in Cornhill, Boston, he finally suc- 
ceeded Ezra Dyer in the same business and locality. Being 
unsuccessful, he removed to Charleston, S.C., ab. 1829, and 
d. there 22 Sept. 1868. 

He m. 8 June, 1838, Anna E. Prince, who d. 26 Sept. 18G8. 
Children : — 

Henry Howell, 9 May, 1839 now (1873) an applicant for 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 511 

admission to the Society, m. 20 Dec. 1866, Susan Jane Robin- 
son. Has Henry Hotvell, b. 4 Nov. 1867. 

Nancy Burnap, 30 Aug. 1840, m. 17 Jan. 1863, S. N. Brown. 

Gilbert Fearing, 10 Aug. 1842, an Eijiscopal clergyman. 

Harriet Elizabeth, 23 May, 1845, d. 15 Apr. 1847. 

Harriet Ardelia, 23 Feb. 1848. 

He was the son of Robert and 'Ann (Boylston) Wil- 
liams, and was b. in Boston, 24 July, 1753. He entered 
the Boston Latin School in 1762, graduated at H. U. in 
1773, studied medicine six months under Dr. Warren, but 
did not pursue it on account of his aversion to the sight 
of blood, and was, when the Revolutionary war broke out, 
master of the Roxbury Latin School. The State of Mas- 
sachusetts having been empowered by Congress, in Sept. 
1776, to raise, besides her quota of fifteen continental bat- 
talions, three additional ones, Cols. Wm. R. Lee, Henry- 
Jackson, and David Henley were aj^pointed to raise and 
command them. These three organizations were, on 9 
Apr. 1779, incorporated into one under Col. Henry Jack- 
son ; and Mr. Williams, who had been aj)pointed paymaster 
in Lee's on 3 June, 1777, received a new appointment in 
Jackson's as regimental clothier, 5 Apr. 1779 ; ensign and 
paymaster, 24 Apr. 1779 ; was promoted to 1st lieut. 12 
Apr. 1782, and at the close of the war paid off the 4th, 
9th, and 16th regiments, which had previously been con- 
solidated, and which, under Col. Henry Jackson, formed 
the last body of troops retained in service, being finally 
disbanded in June, 1784. Jackson's regiment was con- 
spicuous for its soldierlike appearance and discipline ; and, 
having been raised in Boston and mostly officered by na- 
tives of that town, was called the " Boston " regiment. 
It took part in the battles of Monmouth and Springfield, 



512 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

N.J., and in Sullivan's R.I. campaign. Mr. Williams 
served as a volunteer under Gen. Lincoln in suppressing 
Shays's rebellion in Feb. 1787, and on the 20th of May 
following he married Bethiah, daughter of David Pearce. 
Mr. Pearce, who was a native of Gloucester, followed the 
sea in early life, and by his industry and enterprise became 
one of the first merchants in the place. During the Revo- 
lutionary war he carried on privateering with great suc- 
cess, and was for many years after the war largely and 
prosperously engaged in a variety of mercantile enterprises. 
His career was one of uninterrupted prosperity up to 
the age of 70, when a series of misfortunes reduced him 
from affluence to bankruptcy, and he d. in May, 1818, r 
te. 82. 

In 1791 Mr. Williams, who was then a merchant on 
Long Wharf, Boston, and part-owner of the ship "Com- 
merce," sailed in her to the East Indies. On the night 
of July 10th, 1792, the ship, while on her way from 
Madras to Bombay, went ashore in the night on the 
Arabian coast near Cape Morbet, her company, except- 
ing three persons who were drowned in the attempt, 
reaching the shore in safety. Almost immediately after 
landing they were stripped and plundered of nearly every 
thing by a large party of Arabs ; and, naked and destitute 
as they were, they endeavored to make their way to Mus- 
cat, distant some 500 miles in a direct line. Their route 
lay through fields of burning sand, and over rocky and 
precipitous mountains affording neither food nor water, 
exposed naked in the daytime to a scorching sun and in 
the night to cold and heavy dews, and also to the constant 
depredations of thieves and robbers. On the ninth day 
Mr. Williams, whose shoes had been taken from him the 
day before, gave out, and was left to die, as was supposed, 
his companions covering him with branches of the prickly 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 513 

thorn tree to keep off the jackals, and pursumg their 
way. He, however, revived sufficiently after their depart- 
ure to return to a spring they had just left, where he 
caught some frogs, and stayed till he was a little recruited. 
After enduring the greatest extremities of human suffer- 
ing, he finally succeeded in bargaining with an Arab to 
take him on his camel to Muscat, whence he returned 
home by way of Bombay and Enghmd, reaching Boston 
in 1794. Mr. Williams ever afterward avoided all men- 
tion of this distressing subject, fraught as it was with 
recollections of so painful and revolting a character. 
Eight of the seventeen white men in the ship survived 
the terrible hardships and privations of the journey. The 
journal of their travels and sufferings b}- Daniel Saunders, 
Jr., edited by Dr. William Bentley, was published in 
Salem in 1794. Mr. Williams resumed mercantile busi- 
ness, which he carried on successfully in Boston after his 
return ; Avas a selectman of the town from 1811 to 1817 ; 
and was Treas. of the Soc. of the Cincinnati from 1811 
until his death, which occurred 16 Nov. 1834, at his resi- ^ 
dence on Fort Hill. 

Tlie following letter from La Fayette was addressed to 
INIr. Williams in reply to a communication from some of 
the surviving officers of the arm}', soliciting his influence 
in support of their just claims upon Congress : — 

L.v Gkange, Nov. 24, ]825. 
My dear Brothers and Companions-in-Arms : 

It would be superfluous to tell you that your letter from Boston, 
June 20th, has excited my warmest feelings, and that during my 
too short stay in the United States I have not lost sight of its most 
interesting object. But as it is probable the matter alluded to will 
be taken up towards the middle or before the end of the session, 
I have thought it was no impropriety on my part, and there might 
be motives, was it only from a sense of duty as well as of affection, 

05 



514 BIOGEAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

to address some friends on the occasion, namely, those you have 
mentioned, and also the President, whose personal sentiments on 
this our business I cannot question. 

Among the advantages I have derived from the immense bounty 
in my behalf of the people and their representatives in Congress, I 
would reckon the first of them the gratification to think it has fur- 
nished my dear comrades a successful argument to forward their 
claims. 

Accept the afi'ectionate regard, love, and wishes of your old 
companion-in-ai-ms. La Fayette. 

To Daniel Jackson, Francis Green, Kobekt Williams, 
Revolutionary Officers, Boston. 

His descent from Robert ^ and Marjary Williams, of Boston, was 
through Bobertf b. 30 Apr. 1691, d. 15 June, 1758, who m. 27 Nov. 

171. J, Sarah ; Robert^ (his father), b. 1 Sept. 1727, d. 7 Mar. 

1807, m. Mar. 1750, Ann, dau. of Benjamin and Elizabeth Boyls- 
ton, b. 29 Aug. 1729, d. 6 Feb. 1805. By his first Avife Bethiah, 
dau. of David Pearce of Gloucester, m. 20 May, 1787, he had — 

Kobekt Pearce. George, 27 June, 1791. 

Charles. Harriet. 

He m. 2d (20 Dec. 1803) Hannah, dau. of James and Eleanor 
(Campbell) Jameson of Maine, who d. G May, 1819. Children: — 

Eleanor Jameson, who m. Walter Baker of Dorchester, and 
who is the only surviving child of Robert. 

Horace. 

Sidney Boy'lston. 

George. 

He m. 3d (29 July, 1821) Sarah, dau. of James Maxwell, and 
widow of Christoplier Barker, and had — 

Sidney Boylston, who d. in Montreal. 

ROBERT PEARCE WILLIAMS. 

He Avas the eldest son of Robert, whom he succ. in 
1837, and was b. Boston, 11 Mar. 1788. He began the 
bookselUng business with his brother Charles, under the 
style of R. P. & C. Williams, in 1801, and continued for 
thirty-five years to hold an honorable place in the trade in 
Boston. This firm pul)lished the works of Benjamin and 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 515 

others on architecture ; a fine edition of the Book of 
Common Prayer, and other publications of the Episcopal 
Church ; the works of Peter Pindar, in four volumes ; 
and Shakspeare's works, in five volumes, carefully printed 
by J. T. Buckingham. During the financial crisis of 1837 
they succumbed, and Robert P. moved with his family to 
St. Louis, where he carried on the book business, dying 
there 22 Apr. 1851. 

He m. in Apr. 1814, Nancy Bliss, clau. of Ebenezer and Eleanor 
Whitney of Belchertown (b. 2G June, 1790). They had — 
Nancy, 27 Jan. 1815. 
Eliza, 18 Nov. 1816, d. July 7, 1832. 
Alexander, Aug. 24, 1818. 
Harriet, Nov. 1, 1820, d. Nov. 11, 1845. 
Emily, Mar. 13, 1823. 
Clarissa Whitney, Jan. 2G, 1825. 
Robert, June 25, 1827. 
Thomas Penhallow-, Oct. 18, 1828. 
Mary Penhallow, Feb. 21, 1831. 

ALEXANDER WILLIAMS. 

Eldest son of Robert P. Williams^ whom he succ. in 
1862, is a bookseller of Boston, where he was b. 24 Aug. 
1818. Mr. Williams in 1839 commenced in Boston the 
newspaper and periodical business, then in its infancy, but 
which, stimulated by cheap issues of the novels of Charles 
Dickens, Bulwer, and others, soon attained extensive 
proportions, the sales of a single day being counted by 
thousands. This business, which is now carried on by the 
American News Company, has reached the enormous sum 
of twelve million dollars per annum. Mr. Williams is the 
present occupant of the " Old Corner Bookstore," proba- 
bly the oldest brick building in Boston, and one of its noted 
landmarks, bearing the date of 1712. It stands on the 
corner of Washington and School Streets, and has long- 
been the resort of the literati of Boston and vicinity. 
Dickens and Thackeray have been among its visitors, as 



516 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 

well as our own Longfellow, Hawthorne, Emerson, Holmes, 
and Lowell. 

Hem. in Coliasset, 6 Mar. 1844, Elizabeth Collier, b. 7 Feb. 1822. 
Children : — 

Robert, b. 26 May, 1846. 

Hklen Maria, 5 Apr. 1849, d. 15 Apr. 1854. 

Mary Lewis, 28 Aug. 1851. 

Alexander, 8 May, 1855. 

Charles Collier, 17 Sept. 1857. 

Joucitljan WiUxQ, 

Com. ensign, 19 Oct. 1781 ; in Vose's (1st) reg. in 1783. 

John, eldest son of John and Eliza (Mason) Winslow, 
was I). Boston, 29 Sept. 1758, d. there 29 Nov. 1819. He 
was before the war a clerk in the hardware store of his 
uncle, Jonathan Mason, deacon of the Old South Church, 
who kept on the east side of Washington Street, opposite 
Williams Court, and who, as the custom then was, lived 
over his store. John was in Boston during its occupation 
by the British troops in 1775 ; was the one who recognized 
Gen. Warren's body the day after the battle of Bunker's 
Hill ; and he also buried the communion plate of the Old 
South Church in the cellar of his uncle's house to prevent 
its falling into the hands of the British. Being desirous 
of getting away from Boston, he enlisted on a British ves- 
sel bound for Newport, R.I., at which place he deserted ; 
Avas app. by Gov. Trumljull deputy paymaster, rank of 
lieut., in the Northern depaitment, and accompanied Mont- 
gomery to (Quebec ; was com. captain in Crane's reg. of 
artillery, 8 June, 1777 ; was present at White Plains, and 
in the battles euding with the capture of Burgoyne at 
Saratoga, remaining in the artillery until discharged, 5 
Nov. 1778. LTpon two occasions, during the retreat from 
Quebec and from Ticonderoga, he saved the books, public 
chest, and papers belonging to the army, losing his own 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 517 

valuable baggage and wardrobe. An incident of this re- 
treat that he afterward related was that he had taken 
two golden guineas from his pockets, looked at them and 
put them back, being unable to buy a spoonful of meal 
with them. At the request of his uncle, he became his 
partner in the hardware business, which he afterward car- 
ried on upon his own account. Losing his property in 
1810 by an unexpected failure, his embarrassments con- 
tinued during his life. His honor and integrity, however, 
remained unquestioned, and the people placed him seven 
years successively (1812-19) in the responsible office of 
County Treasurer. He was captain of the Ancient and 
Honorable Art. Co. in 1792 and 1798 ; was chosen brig.- 
gen. of the Boston legionary brigade in 1799 ; and in 1809 
was chosen maj.-gen. of the first division Mass. mihtia, 
but did not accept. He was also a member of the legisla- 
ture ; was Assist. Treas. of the Society in 1794-1809 ; 
Treas. in 1809-11. 

His descent from John^ (bro. of Gov. Edward) Wiiislow,b. 1597, 
came over in the " Fortune " in 1G23, d. Boston, Oct. IG74, who m.' 
Mary Chihon, was through John,^h. ab. 1627, d. Oct. 1G83, and 
wife Elizabeth; John;^ b. 22 May, 1669, d. 1 Jan. 1694-95, who 
m. Abigail Atkinson, 18 June, 1689 ; John,^ b. 30 Dec. lG93,'d. at 
sea, 31 Oct. 1731, m. 21 Sept. 1721, Sarah Pierce; John^ (his 
father), b. 5 Mar. 1725, d. 29 Sept. 1773, who m. V2 Mar. 1752, 
Eliza Mason. 

He m. 21 May, 1782, Ann Gardner (b. 26 July, 1755 d 12 
Nov. 1836). Children: — 

John. 

Joshua Henry, 9 Dec. 1784, d. at sea, 19 Mar. 1805. 

Andrew Gardner, 17 Aug. 1786, d. 21 Feb. 1788. 

William Pratt, 15 Mar. 1788, d. at sea, 27 Jan. 1817. 

Mary Ann. 6 May, 1790, living in Woburn. 

Elizabeth Jane, 11 Apr. 1792, m. 22 Ajir. 1808, James Ful- 
lerton Trott, who d. 24 Nov. 1822, 

Andrew Gardner, 2 Mar. 1795, m. 1 Jan. 1826, Hannah Bow- 
man of Bath, Me. 

Constant Freeman, 15 Mar. 1797, d. at sea, 28 Dec. 1820. 

Edward, 11 Aug. 1799, a sailor, d. Boston, 12 Dec. 1857. 



518 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE 



JOHN WINSLOW. 

Eldest son of John, whom he succ. in 1822 ; b. Boston, 

27 Feb. 1783 ; d. Behnont, Mass., 20 Aug. 1868. 

He m. 27 Oct. 1808, Sally Spear Bray (b. 3 Mar. 1787, d. 18 
Oct. 1844). Children: — 

John, 10 July, 1809, m. 21 Oct. 1835, Margaret Hall of Liver- 
pool, Eiig., and had John and Ann Jane. 

William Henry, 25 July, 1810, d. 31 Oct. 1833, m. Sarah H. 
Wyman. 

Chahles Edward, 31 Jan. 1812, d. 23 May, 1837, m. 31 Jan. 
1834, Mary A. Trull, and had Charles Henry. 

OziAS Goodwin, 30 May, 1813, d. 3 Dec. 1842, m. 15 Nov. 
1838, Julia Martineau, and had Nathan Foster, b. 18 Oct. 
1839. 

Sauaii Ann, 5 Apr. 1815, d. unm. 23 July, 1842. 

Horatio Bray, 28 Apr. 1818, d. unm. 1 Nov. 1840. 

George Chapman, 11 May, 1820, d. uum. 19 Jan. 1845. 

Andrew Gardner, 24 June, 1822, d. unm. 27 Dec. 1844. 

Caroline Louisa, 14 Sept. 1824, d. unm. 27 Dec. 1841. 

CHARLES HENRY WINSLOW. 

Son of Charles Edward, and grandson of John Winslow, 
whom he succ. in 1870 ; b. Boston, 11 June, 1835 ; is a 
carpenter, and resides in Belmont, Mass. He was the first 
in that town wlio enlisted in the union army when the 
Rebellion broke out, having joined the Boston Light Artil- 
lery Co., Capt. Cook, 20 Apr. 1861, and served with it 
in Maryland four months. He was then engaged at the 
arsenal at Watertown until 23 Dec. 1863, when he enlisted 
in the 11th Mass. battery, with which he served in cam- 
paign of 1864-65 in Virginia, from the Wilderness to the 
surrender of Lee. He was promoted to corporal for gal- 
lant conduct in the battle at Preble House on the Weldon 
Railroad ; was com. 2d lieut. 5th Mass. cavalry, 18 Nov. 
1864, and was among the first to enter Richmond, 3 Apr. 



CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 519 

1865. He was mustered out at Clarksville, Tex., 18 Oct. 
1865. 

fie m. 22 Mar. 1859, Jennie P. Dawson. Children: — 
John Edward, b. Boston, 1 Jan. 1860. 
Maybell Josp:pniNE, b. Belmont, 27 July, 1865. 

€ijristopi)cr SSaootiijriTiflC. 

He was a capt.-lieut. in Wiggles worth's (13th) reg. in 
Sullivan's R.I. campaign in 1778 ; was com. eapt. same 
reg. 10 Apr. 1779, and was in Mellen's (3d) reg. in 1783. 
He d. in Newcastle, Me., in Mar. 1825. His widow Sarah 
was living in Hallowell in 1871. 

Samuel ffSHootrtoavtr. 

He was the son of Rev. Samuel, of Weston, Mass. ; was 
b. there 11 July, 1756 ; H. U. 1776. He was surgeon's 
mate in Shepard's (4th) reg., and was transferred to 
Crane's artillery, 24 May, 1782. In Feb. 1784, he settled 
in Newburg, N.Y., and d. there 29 Mar. 1785. He m. in 
Feb. 1784, Martha Horton, and left a son who d. in 
infancy. 

His descent from Richard^ Woodtvard, of Watertown, 1634, 
freeman 1635, b. 1589, d. 16 Feb. 1664-65, and wife Rose, who 
d. 1662, JE. 80, was through George;' b. Eiig. 1621, d. 31 May, 1676, 
and wife Mary; John,^ b. 28 Mar. 1649, will dated 26 Feb. 
1727-28, who m. (2d) Mary Bancroft of Reading; Ebenezer,* b. 
12 Mar. 1690-91, who m. 26 .Jan. 1716, Mindwell Stone; Rev. 
Samuel^ (his father), b. 1 Feb. 1727, H. U. 1748, d. 5 Oct. 
1782. He had beside Surgeon Samuel and several daughters, 
a son Warham (1765-1804), a merchant of Charleston, S.C. 

Joijn Feoman. 

He Avas ensign in Shepard's (4th) reg., com. 10 Feb. 
1778 ; lieut. 15 Apr. 1780 ; and in the campaign in R.I. 
under Sullivan. He was Inspector of Customs at Newport 
from 1790 to his death, 12 July, 1827, £e. 72. His widow 
Martha was living there in Nov. 1841, se. 88. 



520 



ADDENDA. 



Baylies, Hodijah (p. 22G), lieut. iu H. Jackson's reg. 1 Feb. 
— 1 Nov. 1777. 

Cogswell, Samuel (p. 2G4), was of WincUiam, Ct., and d. before 
1812. 

Hall, James (p. 320). James, bis fatber, believed to have come 
from Scotland, was of Hingbam as early as 1740 ; was a sbip- 
wrigbt, and built and launcbed vessels in Cohasset. Capt. James, 
who was six feet two inches in height, and well made, was engaged 
in the battles of White Plains, Brandywine, and Monmouth. All 
three, who have represented this family in the Society, have met 
their death by accident. Capt. James walked out of an open win- 
dow in the Exchange Coffee House, Boston, in his sleep, breaking 
his ankle, and d. from mortification after its amputation ; and bis 
son George d. in consequence of an injury to bis spine, caused by 
a fall from a wharf. 

Hall, George (p. 321), followed the sea from boyhood, and later 
in life was engaged in the fishing business. When quite a young 
man, he was presented with the Humane Society's gold medal for 
saving the lives of a shipwrecked crew on Cohasset Rocks. He had 
James, Isaac, and Henry K. 

Hancock, Belcher (p. 322). Did not contribute his month's 
pay to the Society. 

Hill, Jeremiah (p. 331), was from Billerica. 

Lincoln, Theodore, H. U. 1785 (p. 385), was neither a lawyer 
nor a Judge of Probate, as stated : so says his son Thomas. 



OFFICERS 



itneral Sonxtu of \\)t Cinrinniitt. 



N. B. — The following list is incomplete between the years 1787 and 1825 : — 



Date of 
Election. 

1783. 
1784. 
1787. 
1799. 
1800. 

1805. 
1811. 
1825. 
1829. 
1839. 
1844. 
1848. 
1854. 
1857. 
1866. 
1872. 



1788. 
1784. 
1787. 
1790. 
1799. 
1802. 
1825. 
1829. 
1832. 
1838. 
1851. 
1857. 
1863. 
1872. 



President. 

George Washington 



Vice-President. 



Alexander Hamilton 



Horatio Gates . . 

Thomas Mifflin . 

Alex. Hamilton . 

Chas. Cotesworth 
Pinckney 
Chas. Cotesworth Pinckney Henry Knox . 

,, „ „ . John Brooks 

Thomas Pinckney . . . Aaron Ogden , 

Aaron Ogden Morgan Lewis 

Morgan Lewis William Shute 

William Popham .... Horace Binney 
Henry A. S. Dearborn . . Hamilton Fish . 
Hamilton Fish Charles S. Daveis 

?) >y >j »> j> 

„ „ James W. Sever . 

„ , James Simons . . 



Secretary. 

Henry Knox. 
William Jackson. 



Alex. W. Johnston. 



Thomas McEuen. 



Treasurer, 

Alexander McDougall 



William McPherson 

Allan McLane . . 

John Markland 
Joseph Warren Scott 

j> y> t) 

Tench Tilghman . . 



Assistant Secretary. Assistant Treasurer. 

Otho H. Williams . , 

George Turner 

Wm. McPherson . 

Nathan Dorsey . 

William D. Bell . 

John Markland . Alex. W. Jolmston. 

Thomas McEuen . John Markland. 

,, „ • Jos. Warren Scott. 

„ „ . William Jackson. 

. John H. Markland. 



N 



George W. Harris 



66 



John McDowell. 
William B. Dayton. 



522 



OFFICEES 



ITassnrljiisctts Sorietg of tjje Ciitdnuati. 



PRESIDENTS. 

Elected. 

Benjamin Lincoln 1783 

John Biiooics 1810 

Daa'id Toavnsend 1825 

JuDAH Alden 1829 

James SinER 1845 

Henry Burbeck 1846 

Robert Gould Shaw 1849 

Charles Stewart Daveis 1853 

Alfred Louis Baury 1865 

James Warren Sever 1866 

Henry Knox Thatcher 1871 



VI CE-PRESIDENTS. 











Elected. 




Elected. 


Henrv Knox 1783 


Benjamin Pierce . . 


. 1836 


John Paterson 








1785 


James Sever . . . 


. 1839 


William Eustis 








1786 


Henrv Sewall . . . 


. 1845 


David Cobb . 








1810 


Joseph Prescott . . 


. 1846 


William Tudor 








1811 


James Lovell . . 


. 1849 


William Eustis 








1820 


Charles Stewart Daveis 


. 1851 


David Townsend 








1821 


Alfred Louis Baury . 


. 1853 


Judali Alden . 








1825 


James Warren Sever 


. 1865 


Francis Green 








1829 


Winslow Warren . . 


. 1866 


Daniel Jackson 








. 1832 


Henry Knox Thatcher 


. 1870 


John Hart . 








. 1834 


Samuel Crocker Cobb 


. 1871 


TREAS 


URERS. 




Henry Jackson .... 1783 


Samuel Perkins . 


. 1841 


John Winslow .... 1809 


David S. Townsend . 


. 1845 


Robert Williams .... 1811 


William Perkins . . 


. . 1847 


Robert Gould Shs 


iw 






. 1836 







CINCINNATI OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



523 



ASSISTANT 


Benjamin Heywood . 


. 1783 


Jolui Winslow 


. 1794 


Adams Bailey . 


. 1809 


Robert Gould Shaw . 


. 1825 


Samuel Perkins . . 


. 1835 



TREASURERS. 

David S. Townsend 
John Pickering . 
John Bryant . 
Henry A. Peirce . 



Elected. 
1841 

1845 
1846 
1805 



SECRETARIES. 



John Brooks , . . 


. . 1783 


Adams Bailey .... 


1851 


Thomas Edwards . . 


. . 1786 


James Warren Sever 


. 1859 


David Townsend . . 


. . 1807 


Samuel Crocker Cobb . 


. 1865 


John Callender . . 


. . 1821 


Charles Dudley Homans 


. 1871 


Thomas Jackson . 


. . 1834 







ASSISTANT SECRETARIES. 



Joseph Crocker . 


1794 


Thomas Jackson . . 


1821 


Samuel Armstrong . 


1798 


Adams Bailey .... 


1834 


John Callender . 


1800 


James Warren Sever 


1851 


Adams Bailey .... 


1808 


Benj. Henderson Greene 


1859 


John Callender . . . 


1809 


Leonard Crocker Bowles 


18(i3 



HONORARY MEMBERS. 

*William Ilickling Prescott, LL.D., 1845. 
*John Collins Warren, JNI.D., . . 1847. 
*Daniel Webster, LL.D., . . . 1851. 



MEMBERS OF OTHER STATE SOCIETIES, JOINING BY 
REMOVAL AND RESIDENCE. 



Binney, Horace, LL.D., Pa. 
*Blodget, Caleb, N.H. 
*Clark, Lieut. Joseph, N.H. 
*Craigie, Andrew, Apothecary- 
Gen., N.Y. 



*Dpai-born, Col. Henry, N.H. 
*Donnell, Capt. Nath'l, Pa. 
^Pickering, Col. Timothy, Pa. 
*Reidel, Lieut. Henry, S.C. 



* Deceased. 



524 



MEMBERS ELECTED, ETC. 



MEMBERS ELECTED, ADMISSION NOT COMPLETED. 



1787. *Tueker, Samuel . . . 

1788. *Litlisow, William . . 
*Wi<j;glesvvorth, Edward 

1790. *Hunt, Abraham . . . 

1805. *Bates, Joseph . . . 

1816. *Greaton, John . . . 

1826. *Eustis, Gen. Abraham . 

1828. *Peirce, Jos. Hardy, Jr. 

1828. *Parker, Edward , . . 

1828. *Lincoln, Theodore . . 

1829. *Vose, Thomas P. . . 
1829. Clarke, Samuel C. . . 
1838. *Remick, Timothy . . 
1850. *Sawyer, James Lucius . 
1855. *Lawrence, Abbott . ■ . 

*Swett, Samuel 

186i. Bradford, Robert F. . 



1865. 


*Bryant, Henry . 


1868. 


*Hamlin, Poladore . 




Torrey, William . 


1869. 


*Nason, L. Q. C. . 


1871. 


Tudor, Frederic . . 




Hey wood, John Green 


1872. 


Trumbull, George C. 



Captain Revohitionary navy. 
Major Revolutionary army. 
Colonel ,, ,, 

Cajitain ,, ,, 

grandson of Gen. John. 

nephew of Gov. William. 

son of Joseph. 

of New York, son of Lieut. Elias. 

son of Gen. Benjamin. 

son of Capt. Thomas. 

grandson of Gen. William Hull. 

of Cornish, Me., son of Capt. Timothy. 

son of Ensign James. 

son of Major Samuel. 

son of Surgeon J. B. Swett. 

Capt. U.S.N. , great-grandson of Seth, 

brother of Lieut. Andrew, 
son of John, 
son of Ensign Africa, 
of Bath, Me., son of William, 
of Berwick, Me., eldest son of Lieut. 

Nathaniel, 
son of Frederic. 

of Worcester, son of Dr. Benj. F. 
grandson of Capt. Caleb Clap. 



MONTHLY PAY OF THE OFFICERS OF THE REVOLU- 
TIONARY ARMY. 

Ensign $20.00 

Lieut, of infantry .... 26.60 

„ „ navy 30.00 

Capt.-lieuts. and lieuts. of 

artillery 33.30 

Captain of infantry . . . 40.00 

„ „ artillery and cav. 50.00 

„ navy .... 6000 

Major of infantry .... 50.00 

„ „ artillery and cav. . 62.45 



Lieut. -col. infantry . . . 


$60.00 


,, of artillery 


75.00 


Colonel of cavalry . . . 


93.67 


„ „ infantry . . 


75.00 


„ ,, artillery . . 


100.00 


Brig. -general .... 


125.00 


Maj. -general 


166.00 


Surgeon 


60.00 


Surgeon's mate .... 


42.00 


Chaplain 


75.00 



dzd 



ADDRESS OF PRESEJ^T MEMBERS. 



Arnold, Leonard .... SomerA'ille, Mass. 

Bailey, Adams New York City (care of William Bailey 

Lang) . 

Bailey, Hon. Bernard C. . . Batli, Me. 

Baury, Frederick F. ... 68 Pinckney Street, Boston. 

Ba3'lies, Edmund .... Taunton, Mass. 

Binney, Hon. Horace, LL.D. Philadelphia. 

Bowles, L. C. 10 Hawthorne Street, Boston High- 
lands. 

Bradford, Gamaliel .... Grantville, Mass. 

Bradford, Thomas Gamaliel . 74 Chandler Street, Boston. 

Bullard, James Sherborn, Mass. 

Burbeck, William H. . . . New London, Conn. 

Casey, Gen. Silas .... 155 S. Oxford Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. 

Chase, Stephen Abbott . . . Salem, Mass. 

Clayes, Rev. Dana .... Wakefield, INIass. 

Cobb, Samuel C 120 Highland Street, Boston. 

Crocker, Samuel L IMilford, Mass. 

Davis, Charles Henry, LL.D., 

Rear-Admiral U.S.N. . . Norfolk, Va. 

Dolaud, John J Lawrence, Mass. 

Drew, Clement 22 Tremont Street, Boston. 

Edwards, John Portland, Me. 

Emerson, Nathaniel W. . . Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Eustis, William Natchez, Miss. 

Gould, Benjamin Apthorp . . Director National Argentine Observa- 
tory, Cordoba. 

Greene, Benjamin H. ... 30 Millmont Street, Boston. 

Greenleaf, Samuel . . . Haverhill, Mass. (?) 

Hart, Samuel, M.D. . . . Brooklyn, N.Y. 

Hastings, Edmund T. . . . Medford, Mass. 

Holland, Charles T. . . . Foxboro', Mass. 

Homans, Charles D., M.D. . 90 Boylston Street, Boston. 

Hunt, Gen. Henry J., U.S.A. Fort Adams, Newport, R.L 

Jackson, Hon. Ebenezer . . Middletown, Ct. 

Jackson, Francis .... Portland, Me. 



526 ADDRESS OF PRESENT MEMBERS. 

Keyes, Alex. B., Capt. U.S.A. Fort Sill, I.T. 

Knapp, Gilbert C Franklin, Mass. 

Lawrence, Amos A. . . . Longwood, Mass. 

Lee, William Raymond . . 38 Amor}'^ Street. Boston. 

Lillie, Daniel C North Easton, Mass. 

Lincoln, Benjamin .... Dennysville, ]\[e. 

Lothrop, Rev. Sam'l K.,D.D. 12 Cliestnut Street, Boston. 

Lovell, Mansfield .... Savannah, Ga. 

]\Iason, James Means . . . Westbrook, Me. (?) 

McKendry, George Albert . Westboro', Mass. 

Maxwell, William Munroe . Heath, Mass. 

Moseley, Edward S. . . . Newburyport, Mass. 

Parker, Edward W. . . . Hyde Park, Mass. 

Peirce, Hon. Henry A., U.S. 

Minister to Honolulu . . Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands. 

Peirce, Josiah, Jr Portland, Me. 

Perkins, William .... 83 Mount Vernon Street, Boston. 

Perry, Andrew P Maplcwood, jVIass. 

Peters, John L 'Worcester, Mass. 

Pickering, John Salem, Mass. 

Preble, Wm. Pitt .... Portland, Me. 

Rice, Nathan P., M.D. . . New Orleans. 

Richardson, George D. . . Stoneham, Mass. 

Savage, Capt. Charles T. . . Harvard, Mass. 

Sawyer, George A., Paymas- 
ter U.S.N Kansas City, Mo. 

Sever, Rev. Winslow Warren Lee, Mass. 

Shaw, Francis George . . . West New Brighton, Staten Island, 

N.Y. 

Shute, Daniel South Hingham, Mass. 

Soren, John J 19 Greenville Street, Boston. 

Stoddard, John T Plymouth, Mass. 

Storey, Charles W. ... 8 Florence Street, Boston. 

Sumner, Charles .... Washington, D.C. 

Thatcher, Henry K., Rear- 

Admiral U.S.N Winchester, Mass. 

Thayer, Joseph H. Jackson . Bangor, Me. 

Townsend, E. D., Adj. -Gen. 

U.S. A Washington, D.C. 

Turner, Perez South Scituate, Mass. 

Vose, Francis 3 Cedar Street, Boston. 

Vose, Rev. James G. . . . Providence, R.I. 

Wardwell, William H. . . . 210 Washington Street, Boston. , 



ADDRESS OF PRESENT MEMBERS. 527 

Warren, John C, M.D. . . 3 Park Street, Boston. 

Warren, Winslow .... Dedham, Mass. 

Wells, Rev. E. M. P., D.D. . 14 Oxford Street, Boston. 

Wild, Charles Tidd .... Chelsea, Mass. 

Williams, Alexander ... 165 W. Brookline Street, Boston. 

Winslow, Charles H. . . . Mount Auburn P.O., Mass. 



528 
ACT OF INCORPORATION 

PASSED MAKCH 13tH, 1806. 

Commonbcaltfj of iiHassacf)usctts. 

IN THE TEAR OP OUR LORD ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND SIX. 

An Act to incorporate Benjamin Lincoln and others into a Society by the name 
of The Society of the Cincinnati within the State of Massachusetts. 

Whereas, Upon the dissolution of the American Revolutionary Army, 
in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-three, 
Benjamin Lincoln and others, officers in the Massachusetts line of said 
army, did associate for the purpose of forming a fund to be for ever there- 
after appropriated for the relief of the indigent members of said associa- 
tion, and the widows and orphans of said members ; and in order to 
secure the said fund, and fulfil the charitable designs of the said institu- 
tion, have petitioned to be incorporated, — 

Sect. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, that the 
said Benjamin Lincoln and his associates, together with such others as 
may be admitted members of said association, be, and they hereby are, 
incorporated into a society by the name of The Massachusetts Society 
OF THE Cincinnati, with power to have a common seal ; to make con- 
tracts relative to the objects of the said charitable fund ; to sue and to be 
sued ; to establish by-laws and orders for the regulation of said society and 
the preservation and application of the funds thereof, provided the same 
be not repugnant to the Constitution and laws of this Commonwealth ; and 
to take, hold, and possess any estate real or personal, by subscription, 
gift, grant, purchase, devise, or otherwise ; and the same to improve, 
lease, exchange, or sell, and convey for the sole benefit ot said institu- 
tion, provided the value of the real estate of said society shall never 
exceed twenty thousand dollars, and the annual income of the whole 
estate of said society shall not exceed five thousand dollars. 

Sect. 2. Be it further enacted, that the said society shall meet in 
Boston, on the fourth day of July, annually (unless the same should fall 
upon a Sunday, in which case the annual meeting shall always be holden 
on the day succeeding) , for the purpose of electing by ballot from their 
members a president, vice-president, treasurer, secretary, and such 
other officers as may be necessary to manage their concerns, all which 
officers shall hold their said offices for one year, and until others shall 



ACT OF INCORPORATION. 529 

be elected to succeed them ; and the officers for the time being shall 
publish a notification of the time and place of each annual meeting in at 
least two newspapers, at least fourteen days before holding the same. 
Upon any urgent occasion, the president or vice-president, or in their 
absence the secretary, may appoint a special meeting of said society to 
be notified in the same manner as annual meetings. 

Sect. 3. Be it further enacted, that the president, vice-president, and 
other officers of said society, chosen on the fourth day of July last, shall 
have the same authority to manage the concerns thereof as is hereby 
vested in like officers to be hereafter annually chosen ; provided, never- 
theless, that this act of incorporation shall be determinable at the pleasure 
of the legislature. 



67 



BY-LAWS AND RULES 



MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATL 



Originalhj adopted Jahj ^th, 1811, and amended at the annual meetings o/'1848, 
1859, and 1872. 



I. The officers of the Society shall consist of a President, Vice-Presi- 
dent, Secretary, Treasurer, and an Assistant Secretary and Treasurer, 
each of whom shall in virtue of his office be a member of the Standing 
Committee of the year. 

II. There shall be annually elected on the 4th of July a committee 
consisting of twelve, in addition to the officers of the Society, whose duty 
it shall be to take care of the general concerns of the corporation as well 
as of all matters specially committed to them by the Society. They shall 
from the funds afford such relief to the members, or to their widows and 
orphans, as in their judgment shall become proper objects thereof, in such 
sums and at such times as they shall think best, taking care that the in- 
terest only of the general stock of the Society be appropi-iated for this 
purpose, and for that of defraying the necessary expenses of the Society. 
They shall pay a special attention to the state of the treasury, and shall 
see that the Treasurer give bond for the faithfid discharge of his duty ; 
they shall, from time to time, audit his accounts, direct him in the ex- 
change or purchase of stock, and in whatever the interest and security 
of the corporation may from time to time require. They shall keep a 
record of their proceedings, which shall be subject to the inspection of 
any member, and at the annual meeting shall be laid before the Society 
and read. 

III. The votes for the election of the officers of the Society, and for 
the admission of members, shall always be by ballot or written vote. 

IV. Five members of the Standing Committee shall be considered as 
a quorum for transacting the ordinary business ; but no appropriation 
of money shall be made unless seven members be present. 

V. Every original candidate who shall be voted in shall, at the time 



BY-LAWS AND EULES. 531 

of his admission, pay such a sum in aid of tlie funds as the Standing 
Committee shall adjudge to be reasonable. 

VI. Every person who may be desirous of becoming a member of the 
Society, and who shall come within the terms of the original general 
Institution, shall make his application to the Standing Committee in 
writing, who shall advise thereon and report their opinion to the Society ; 
but no one shall be permitted to be a candidate under the age of twenty- 
one years. 

VII. Each person who shall be admitted a member in right of succes- 
sion to a deceased member, or who shall become a member by virtue of 
any rule now existing or which may hereafter be established, shall make 
and subscribe the following declaration, in presence of the Society : — 

I, ■, having been admitted a member of the Society of Cin- 
cinnati within the State of Massachusetts, as the true successor of 

, late a member of this Society, and my deceased (father or brother, 

as the case may be), do solemnly promise and engage that I will duly 
conform to all the regulations established from time to time for the gov- 
ernment of said Society, as far as they shall have for their basis the prin- 
ciples of the original Institution. In testimony whereof, I hereto subscribe 
my name and jjledge my sacred honor. 

VIII. New members who shall be admitted on the claim of succession 
shall have a dij)loma or certificate, signed by the President and counter- 
signed by the Secretary, of the form following, viz. : — 

COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS. 

Be it known that , as the true successor of , de- 
ceased, is a member of the Society of the Cincinnati ; instituted by the 
officers of the American army at the period of its dissolution, as well to 
commemorate the great event which gave independence to the United 
States of America, as for the laudable purpose of inculcating the duty of 
laying down in peace arms assumed for public defence, and of uniting 
in acts of brotherly affection and bonds of perpetual friendship the mem- 
bers constituting the same. 

In testimony whereof, the seal of the State Society of the 
Cincinnati of Massachusetts is hereunto affixed, and 

the hand of the President, the day of , in the 

year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and . 

By order , President. 

, Secretary. 

IX. Any person making application to become a member of the Soci- 
ety in conformity with the Rule recommended at the Triennial Meeting 



532 BY-LAWS AND RULES. 

of the Geueral Society of the Cincinnati, held at Baltimore in May, 1854, 
and adopted by this Society at their annual meeting in July following, 
may be admitted upon subscribing the usual declaration, and upon condi- 
tion of the payment of the sum of seven hundred dollars ($700) to the 
Treasurer of the Society as a contribution to the pennanent fund, and 
shall thereby be entitled to all the rights and privileges of an original 
member. 



BALLOTS CAST AT FIRST ELECTION. 



533 



BALLOTS CAST AT THE FffiST ELECTION HELD BY 
THE MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY. 



The Committee appointed to receive and open the ballots for the 
offices of the Society of the Cincinnati, for the State of Massachusetts, 
report the following list : — 



President. 
Major-Gen. Lincoln 
Major-Gen. Knox . 
Col. Pickering . . 



Treasurer 

Col. H. Jackson 
Brig. -Gen. Putnam 
Col. Brooks . 
Col. Pickering 
Col. Hull . . 
Major Rice 
Capt. Heywood 



Secretary. 

Col. Brooks . . . 
Col. Hull .... 
Col. Cobb . . . 
Col. H. Jackson 
Capt. Shaw . . . 
Lieut. Walker . . 
Brig. -Gen. Paterson 
Major Gibbs . . . 
Major Rice . . . 



83 

66 

1 

150 



93 
11 
17 

4 

20 

4 

1 

150 



68 
57 
1 
2 
4 
1 
1 
1 
15 

150 



Vice-President 
Major-Gen. Knox . 
Brig. -Gen. Putnam . 
Major-Gen. Lincoln 
Brig. -Gen. Paterson 
Col. H. Jackson 
Col. Brooks . . . 
Col. Hull .... 
Col. Cobb . . . 



77 
64 
1 
13 
2 
1 
1 
1 

150 



Assistant Treasurer. 

Capt. Heywood 81 

Col. Hull 18 

Major Rice 34 

Col. Brooks 9 

Col. H. Jackson .... 3 

Capt. Shaw 3 

Capt. Earned 1 

Capt. K, Smith 1 

150 



534 JEFFERSON'S OBJECTIONS TO THE SOCIETY. 



EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM MR. JEFFERSON TO 
GEN. WASHIXGTO^^ 

Dated Pakis, November 14, 1786. 

'* The author of the political part of the Encyclopeilie Metliotlique 
[M. Meiisnier] desired me to examine his article ' Etats-Unis.'' I did 
so. I found it a tissue of errors ; for in truth they know notliing about 
us here. Particularly, however, the article ' Cincinnati ' was a mere 
philijipic against that institution, in which it appeared that there was 
an utter ignorance of facts and motives. I gave him notes^on it. He 
reformed it, as he supposed, and sent it again to me to revise. In 
this reformed state Colonel Humphrys saw it. I foinid it necessary to 
write that article for him. Bcfoi-e I gave it to him I showed it to the 
Marquis de la Fayette, who made a correction or two. I then sent it to 
the author : he used the materials, mixing a great deal of his own with 
them. In a work which is sure of going down to the latest posterity, 
I thought it material to set facts to rights as much as possible. The 
author was well disposed, but could not entirely get the better of his 
original bias. I send you the article as ultimately published. If you 
find any material errors in it, and will be so good as to inform me of 
them. I shall probably have ojiportunities of setting the author to rights. 
\yhat has horetofoi-e passed between us on this institution makes it my 
duty to mention to you that I have never heard a person in Eurojje, 
learned or unlearned, express his thoughts upon this institution, who did 
not consider it as dishonorable and destructive to our governments ; 
and that every writing which has come out since my arrival here, in 
which it is mentioned, considers it, even as now reformed, as the germ 
whose development is one day to destroy the fabric we have reared. 
I did not apprehend this while I had American ideas only, but I confess 
what I have seen in Europe has brought me over to that opinion ; 
and that though the day may be at some distance, beyond the reach 
of our lives perhaps, yet it will certainly come, Avhen a single fibre left 
of this institution will produce an hereditary aristocracy, w-hich will 
change the form of our governments from the best to the worst in the 
•world. To know the mass of evil which flows from this fatal source, 
a person must be in France ; he must see the finest soil, the finest 
climate, the most compact state, the most benevolent character of 
people, and every earthly advantage combined, insufficient to prevent 
this scourge from rendering existence a curse to twenty out of twenty- 
five parts of the inhabitants of this country. "With us the branches of 
this institution cover all the States : the Southern ones are at this time 



MEMBERS OF THE FRENCH SOCIETY. 



535 



aristocratical in their disposition; and that that disposition should 
grow and extend itself is within the natural order of things. I do not 
flatter myself with the immortality of our governments; but I shall 
thmk little also of their longevity unless this germ of destruction be 
taken out. When the Society themselves shall weigh the possibilitv of 
evil against the impossibility of any good to proceed from this institu- 
tion, I cannot help hoping they will eradicate it. I know they wish the 
permanence of our governments as much as any individuals compo'^inf' 
them." ^ ' 



MEMBERS OF THE FREXCH SOCIETY. 
(incomplete.) 



Le Comte de Rochambeau, Lieut. - 

Gen. 
Le Chev. de la Luzerne, Ministre 

Plenipo. 
Le Seigneur Gerard, last Ministre 

Plenipo. 
Le Comte d'Estaing. 
Le Comte de Grasse. 
Le Comte de Barras. 
Le Chevalier Destouches. 
Le Baron de Viomenil, Lieut. -Gen. 
Le Chevalier de Cbastellux. 
Le Comte de Viomenil. 
Le Comte de Saint Simon. 
De Choisy, Mar. de Camp. 
De Beville, Mar. de Camp. 
Le Comte de Custine. 
Le Due de Lauzun. 
Le Due de Laval. 
Le Comte d'Autichamp. 
Le Marquis de Rostaino-. 
Desandrouins, Brig, in America. 
D'Aboville, Brigadier in America. 
La Valette, Brigadier in America. 
Marquis de Saint Maime, Colonel. 
Comte Chretien des Deux Fonts, 

Colonel. 
Comte de Poudens, Colonel. 
Vieomte d'Arrot, Colonel. 
Vicomte de Rochambeau, Colonel. 



Comte Guillaume des Deux Pouts, 
Colonel. 

Vicomte de Xoailles, Colonel, 

Comte de Charlus, Colonel. 

Comte Flechin, Colonel. 

Comte Robert Dillon, Colonel. 

Gouvion, Colonel. 

Querenet de la Combe des In're- 
nieurs. 

Le Comte de Segur. 

Le Comte de Fersen. 

Le Prince de Broglie. 

Scheldon. 

Le Comte de Damas. 

Le Comte de Vauban. 

Le Marquis de Chanipcenets. 

Comte de Bougainville. 

Comte de Liiancourt. 

Baron de TEstrade. 

Le Chev. (Charles) de Lameth. 

M. de Tarle, Intendant de TArmee. 

M. de Menouville. 

Le Baron de Saint Simon. 

Le Chev. de Mirabeau. 

M. de Montesquieu. 

Le Vicomte d'Osmond. 

M. de Mac Mahon. 

Le Chev. de Tarle. 

Le Comte de Loncenil. 

Le Comte de Chabannes. 



536 



MEMBERS OF THE FRENCH SOCIETY. 



Le Baron d'Esebeck. 
M. (I'Anselme. 
M. de Ricey. 
M. Lynch. 

Le Vit'omte de VaudreuiL 
Le Vicomte de Fleury. 
Goulet de la Tour. 
Marquis de Montmort. 
Le Conite de Sonneville. 
Le Comte de la Toucbe. 
Le Comte de Kergariou. 
Le Cbev. de FEguille. 
Le Cbev. du Quesne. 
Le Comte de Trevalais. 
Le Cbev. Maulevrier. 
Le Cbev. de Vallongue. 



Le Conite de Capellis. 

Le Cbev. de la Perouse. 

Le Marquis d'Hcrvilly. 

Le Comte Edouard Dillon. 

O'Moran (Colonel at Savannab). 

Le Marquis de Fontenilles. 

Le Baron de Cboin. 

Le Comte de Fontauge. 

Le Comte Henry de Saint Simon. 

Le Marquis du Boucbet. 

Le Marquis de Bouille. 

Le Marquis de la Galissoniere. 

Le Viscount de Ponteves. 

Marquis de Traversay. 

Cbevalier de Braye. 



537 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 



SOCIETY OE THE CINCINNATI. 



A Circular Letter addressed to the State Societies by the General 
Meeting, Phila., 3 May, 1784. 8vo, pp. 8. Pliila., 1784. 

Barlow, Joel. A Discourse at Hartford, before the Connecticut Society 
of Cincinnati, 4 July, 1787. 4to. Hartford. 

Brooks, John (Gov. of Mass.). Oration delivered to the Society of the 
Cincinnati, in the Convention of Massachusetts, 4 July, 1787. 

4to, pp. 16. Boston, 1787. 

(Burke, ^danus, Esq., one of the Chief Justices of S.C.) Considera- 
tions on the Society or Order of Cincinnati ; addressed to the people 
of South Carolina. By Cassius. 8vo, pp. 16. Phila., 1783. 

Daveis, Charles S. Account of the Cincinnati Society. See Appletoii's 
Neio American Cyclopcedia. 

Doane, George Washington, D.D., LL.D., Bishop of New Jersey. The 
Anniversary Oration before the New Jersey State Society of the Cin- 
cinnati, at Trenton, July 4, 1845. 8vo, pp. 36. Burlington, 1845. 

Drake, Francis S. List of Members of the Massachusetts Society of the 
Cincinnati, with Brief Biographies. 8vo, pp. 75. Boston, 1872. 

Drake, Francis S. Memorials of the Society of the Cinciimati of Mas- 
sachusetts. 8vo. Boston, 1873. 

DuNKiN, B. F., Esq. An Oration delivered before the Whig Associa- 
tion and the State Society of Cincinnati, Charleston, S.C, 4 July, 
1834. 8vo, pp. 22. Charleston, 1834. 

DwiGHT, Theodore. An Oration, Society of Cincinnati of Connecticut, 
4 July, 1792. 8vo. Hartford, 1792. 

DwiGHT, Theodore. Oration delivered at New Haven, 7 July, 1801, 
before the Society of the Cincinnati of Connecticut. 

8vo, pp. 43. Hartford, 1801. 

Edwabds, Charles Lee, M.D. An Oration delivered 4 July, 1827, be- 
fore the Cincinnati and Revolution Societies (Charleston, S.C.) 

8vo, pp. 21. Charleston, 1827. 
68 



538 BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE CINCINNATI 

Gardkx, Alexander. Eulogy on Gen. Charles Coteswortli Pinckney, 
delivered before the Society of the Cincinnati, of South Carolina, 1 
Nov. 1825. 8vo, pp. 48. Charleston, 1825. 

GiRARDOT, A. T., Baron de. L'Ordre Aniericain de Cincinnatus en 
France, Reglements et Correspondances de Washington. 

8vo, pp. 50. Nantes. 

Grimke, Hon. Thomas Smith. Oration delivered in Charleston, 4th 
July, 1809, by the appointment of the South Carolina State Society 
of Cincinnati. 8vo, pji. 32. Charleston, 1809, 

Hexry, S. C. Address before the New Jersey Society of the Cincin- 
nati, 4 July, 1824. 

Hitchcock, Rev. Enos, D.D. A Discourse on the Causes of National 
Prosjierity, &c., addressed to the Society of Cincinnati in Rhode 
Island, East Greenwich, 4 July, 1786. 

8vo, pp. 28. Providence. (1786). 

Hull, Gen. William. Oration to the Society of Cincinnati in Massa- 
chusetts, 4 July, 1788. 4to, pp. 22. Boston, 1788. 

Humphreys, Hon. David. Valedictory Discourse before the Cincinnati 
of Connecticut, 4 July, 1804, 8vo, pp. 60. Boston, 1804. 

Johnston, Alex. Some Account of the Society of Cincinnati. See 
Contributions to American History. 8vo. Phila., 1858. 

LiNN,sRev. William, D.D. Funeral Eulogy on the Death of George 
Washington, delivered 22 Feb. 1800, before the New York State 
Society of Cincinnati. 8vo, pp. 44. New York, 1800. 

Livingston, Robert R. Oration delivered before the Society of the 
Cincinnati of the State of New York, 4 July, 1787. 

4to, pp. 22. New York, 1787. 

Maryland See. See List of Members iii McSherrifs Hist. Maryland. 

Mason, Rev. John M., D.D. Oration commemorative of the late 
INIajor-Gen. Alexander Hamilton ; pronounced before the New York 
State Society of Cincinnati, 31 July, 1804. 

• 8vo, pp. 40. New York, 1804. 

Massachusetts. The Institution of the Society of the Cincinnati, 
formed by the Officers of the Army of the United States for the 
laudable purposes therein mentioned. Published by order, and for 
the use of the members in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 

8vo, pp. 23. Boston, 1801. 

The Institution and Proceedings of the Society of the Cin- 
cinnati, formed by the officers of the United States, 10 May, 1783; 
with Proceedings of the Massachusetts State Society. 

8vo. Boston, 1812. 

Same. (Prepared by Hon. Charles S. Daveis.) 

8vo, pp. 74. Boston, 1859. 

Members elected on the Claim of Successors. 

8vo, pp. 8. Boston, 1832. 



BIBLIOGR'APHY OF THE CINCINNATI. 539 

Massachusetts. Members who now belong to the State Society 
of the Cincinnati (79) ; also a list of those who have been elected 
on the claim of successors. 8vo, pp. 18. March, 1845. 

Society of the Cincinnati of Massachusetts. Fac-similes of auto- 
graphs of original members. Chart on rollers. 

Society of the Cincinnati of Massachusetts. Proceedings on 

the death of Daniel Webster. See Hillard's Memorial of Daniel 

Webster. 
Meusnier de Querelon (Anne Gabriel). Sketch of the Cin. Soc. in 

Sect. 9 of art. Etats-Unis in the Encycl. Methodique ; (written 

mainly by Jefferson. See his Comp. Works, vol. ix. 478). 
MiRABEAU, H. 6. R., Count de. Considerations on the order of Cin- 

cinnatus, to which are added several original papers relative to that 

institution. Translated from the French of the Count de Mirabeau. 

A new edition, with considerable corrections. 

8vo, pp. 68. Phila., 1786. 
Moultrie, Alexander. An Oration delivered 4 July, 1822, before the 

Cincinnati and Revolution Societies. 

8vo, pp. 16. Charleston, 1822. 
New Hampshire State Society of the Cincinnati. Proceedings and 

List of Members. See N.H. Hist. Colls., Vol. VI. 
New Jersey Cincinnati, with the By-laws and Rules of the New Jersey 

State Society. 8vo, pp. 120. Trenton, 1808. 

The Institution of the Society of the Cincinnati; together with the 

roll of the original, hereditary, and honorary members of the order 
in the State of New Jersey from 1783 to 1866. (Prepared by Clif- 
ford Stanley Sims.) 8vo, pp. 79. Albany, 1866. 

New York. Institution of the Society of the Cincinnati. Published 
by order, and for the use of the members of the State of New York. 

8vo, pp. 84. New l^ork, 1784. 

Extract of the Proceedings of the New York Society of the Cin- 
cinnati, convened on the Fourth of July, 1786, &c. 

8vo, pp. 20. New York, 1786. 

Notice to the Members of the New York State Society of the Cin- 
cinnati to join the celebration of the adoption of the Federal Consti- 
tution, 23 July, 1788. Broadside. 

• The Institution of the Society of the Cincinnati, &c. ; together 

with some of the Proceedings of the General Society and of the New 
Y'^ork State Society ; also a list of the officers and members of the 
New York State Society from its organization to the year 1851. 

8vo, pp. 120. New York, 1851 

Observations on a late pamphlet entitled " Considerations upon the 
Society or Order of the Cincinnati," clearly evincing the innocence 
and propriety of that honorable and respectable institution, in an- 



5-10 BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE CINCINNATI. 

swer to vague conjectures, false insinuations, and ill-founded objec- 
tions. By an obscure individual. 8vo, pp. 28. Pliila., 1783. 
Pennsylvania Society of the Cincinnati. Proceedings, ... to ■vvliich 
is prefixed the General Constitution, . . . May, 1784. 

8vo, pp. 88. Phlla., 1785. 

Proceedings of the General Society ; with the Original Institution 

of the Order, Act of Incorporation of the Pennsylvania Society, and 
Testimonial to Gen. Washington. 8vo, pp. 82. Phila., 1801. 

Same, with By-laws of the Pennsylvania Society. 

8vo, pp. G8. Phila., 1841. 
Proceedings of the Cincinnati by their Delegates in General Meeting, 

convened at Philadelphia, May, 1787. Folio. Phila., 1787. 

Proceedings of the General Society of the Cincinnati ; with the Original 
Institution of the Order, and Fac-similes of Signatures. 

8vo, pp. 16, 22. Phila., 1847. 

Same. Phila., 1851. 

Porter, Robert, A.M. Oration delivered July 4, 1791, before the 

Pennsylvania Society of the Cincinnati. 8vo, pp. 23. Phila., 1791. 
Pkingle, John J. Oration at Charleston, S.C., 4 July, 1800, by Ap- 
pointment of the American Revolution Society, and published by the 
request of that Society, and also of the South Carolina Society of 
the Cincinnati. 8vo, pp. 37. Charleston, 1800. 

Rhode Island. The Institution, &c. Published for the use of the 
members in Rhode Island (containing a list of members). 

8vo, pp. 15. Boston, 1801. 
Rogers, Rev. William. Oration delivered July 4, 1789, before the 
Pennsylvania Society of the Cincinnati. 

8vo, pp. 22. Phila., 1789. 
Sargent, W. Journal of the General Meeting of the Cincinnati, 1784. 

See Memoirs of Fenn. Hist. Soc, Vol. VI. 
Shand, Peter J. An Oration delivered before the Revolution and Cin- 
cinnati Societies of Charleston, S.C., 5 July, 1830. 

8vo, pp. 20. Charleston, 1880. 
SiLLiMAN, Benjamin, M.D., LL.D, Oration delivered at Hartford, 
Jvdy 6, 1802, before the Society of the Cincinnati of Connecticut. 

8vo, pp. 34. Hartford, 1802. 
Smith, William, D.D. (1753-1803). A Sermon preached on the 4th of 
July, 1790, before the Society of the Cincinnati of Pennsylvania. 

Phila., 1790. 
Smith, Hon. William, LL.D. An Oration delivered in Charleston, S. C. 
4 July, 1796, before the American Revolution Society and South 
Carolina State Society of the Cincinnati. 

8vo, pp. 40. Charleston, (n. d.) 



PADDOCK'S ARTILLERY COMPANY. 541 

South Carolina. The Original Institution of the General Society of 
the Cincinnati, &c. ; together with the Rules and By-laws of the State 
Society of South Carolina, as adopted 4 July, 1848. 

8vo, pp. 40. Charleston, S.C, 1849. 
Tucker, Thomas Tudor, M.D. Oration at Charleston, S.C, July 4, 
1795, before the South Carolina Society of the Cincinnati. 

4to, pp. 27. Charleston (1795). 
Tudor, Hon. William. Gratulatory Address, delivered July 5, 1790, 
before the Society of the Cincinnati of Massachusetts. 

4to, pp. 14. Boston, 1790. 
Whitwell, Dr. Samuel. Oration delivered to the Society of the Cin- 
cinnati in Massachusetts, 4 July, 1789. 

4to, pp. 20. Boston, 1789. 
Young Men's Bible Society. Proceedings relative to the recent attempt 
to exclude Unitarians fi-om the Society of Cincinnati. 8vo. 1841. 



PADDOCK'S ARTILLERY COMPANY. 

Prior to the organization of this company by Captain David IVIason in 
1763, the only military companies n\ Boston were * ' The Ancient and 
Honorable Artillery Company," the first regularly organized company in 
America, instituted in 1G38 ; and the "Cadets," instituted about 1754, 
called also the " Governor's Guards," composed of the elite of the citi- 
zens, and forming the escort on all occasions of ceremony or commem- 
oration. The " Train," as it was then called, was attached to the Boston 
regiment; and on Captain Mason's removal to New Gloucester, Me., its 
command passed, in 1768, to Lieut. Adino Paddock. The latter, who 
was a chair-maker on Common (now Tremont) Street, opposite the 
Granary, was a " complete artilleryman," and made of his company a 
celebrated military school, which furnished many excellent officers to 
the Revolutionary army. It was composed chiefly of mechanics, was 
considered equal to any that afterward entered the service, and con- 
tinued to a recent period, being latterly known as the " South End " 
Artillery Company. 

" In the fall of 1766 a company of British artillery," says Gen. Henry 
Burbeck, who was himself a member of Paddock's company, " bound to 
Quebec, was too late to enter the river St. Lawrence, and put into Bos- 
ton, where they remained in the barracks at Castle William until the 
May following. From them Paddock's company derived instruction in 
the knowledge and science of field artillery. Major Paddock bought two 
light brass three-pounders. My father (Col. Wm. Burbeck) gave a plan 
or draft for the carriages, and supplied the company with every thing, 



542 PADDOCK'S ARTILLERY COMPANY. 

such as ammunition, port-fires, and every appointment necessaiy for the 
field. I was a member of Paddock's company seven years before the 
■war." 

Paddock attached to his company as pioneers, and to man the drag- 
ropes, a number of German emigrants, whose uniform consisted in part 
of white frocks and hair caps, and who wore broadswords. The com- 
pany was, for the purposes of manoeuvring, divided into two sections, 
each taking two field-pieces, and upon such occasions went thi'ough all 
the evolutions of an active engagement. 

" The fourth of June, 1768, being the king's birthday, was celebrated 
with much spirit. . . . The Governor's Troop of Guards, under Col. 
Phipps ; the regiment of the town, under Col. Jackson ; with the train of 
artillery, under Capt. Paddock, — all mustered in King Street, where the 
troop and regiment fired three rounds, and the artillery responded with 
their new pieces." * These pieces were, on the breaking out of the Revo- 
lutionary war, kept in a gun-house at the corner of West Street. A 
school-house was the next building ; and a yard, enclosed with a high 
fence, was common to both. Paddock, who was a Tory, had expressed 
an intention of surrendering these guns to Governor Gage, who had 
begun to seize the military stores of the province and dlsai'm the inhabi- 
tants. His design was frustrated by a few patriotic young men, among 
whom were Abraham Holbrook, the school-master, Nathaniel Balch, 

Samuel Gore, Moses Grant, Jeremiah Gridley, and Whiston, who, 

while the attention of the sentinel stationed at the door of the gun-house 
was taken off by roll-call, crossed the yard, entered the buikling, and, 
removing the guns from their carriages, concealed them in the school- 
house, whence they were subsequently conveyed in a boat to the Amer- 
ican lines. The guns were in actual service during the whole war ; and 
in 1788 General Knox, while Secretary of War, caused a suitable inscrip- 
tion to be placed upon them. They were named the "Hancock "and 
" Adams," and are now suspended in the chamber at the top of Bunker 
Hill Monument. 

The Committee of Safety, 23 Feb. 1775, voted that Dr. Joseph 
Warren ascertain how many of the men who had been under Paddock's 
command could " be depended on to form an artillery company when the 
Constitutional Array of the Province should take the field, and that 
report be made without loss of time." In March, 1776, Major Paddock 
embarked for Halifax with the Royal Army ; sailed for England in June ; 
and from 1781 until his decease, 25 March, ISOi, aged seventy-six, 



* Probably the brass three-pounders brought from London in the brigantine 
"Abigail," which arrived about Feb. 1. They had been cast for the town from two 
old cannon sent over by the General Court for that purpose. Upon them were 
engraved the arms of the Province. — Drake's History of Boston. 



PADDOCK'S ARTILLERY COMPANY. 543 

resided on the Isle of Jersey, where for several years he held the office 
of Inspector of Artillery Stores, with the rank of Captain. 

The following list of members of Paddock's company is quite incom- 
plete. Those starred were subsequently officers in the regiments of 
Gridley, Knox, or Crane, in the Revolutionary army : — 

Adino Paddock, Capt. with rank of Major. 

Christopher Clark, 1st Lieut. 

Thomas Crafts, ,, 

Jabez Hatch, ^ ,, 

John Sullen, 

George Trott, 

Thomas Bumstead, 

Samuel Sellon, 2d 

Edward Tuckerman, 3d 

*John Crane, private. Col. 

*Ebenezer Stevens, ,, Lieut.-col. 

*John Popkin, ,, 

*William Perkins, ,, Major. 

*Henry Burbeck, „ Captain. 

*John Lillie, ,, 

* William Gridley, „ ][ 

* William Stevens, 
*Jolm Callender, 
*David Cook, 
*Thomas Seward, ,, 

* Joseph Thomas, ,, 
*Thomas Jackson, ,, 
*Thos. Waite Foster, ,, 
*Edward Crafts, 

*Dimond Morton, „ „ (brother of Hon. Perez). 

.;=--^John Johnston, ,, 

*John Gridley, „ Capt.-lieut. 

*Jotham Horton, ,, 

*David Allen, „ [[ 

* Joseph Loring, 

*Samnel Treat, „ '/, (killed at Fort Mifflin). 

* James Hall, 

*I)avid Bryant, ., ',', (kiu^d at Brandywine) . 

*John Hiwill, „ Lieut. 

*Thomas J. Carues, ,, 



544 



INSTKUCTIONS FOE HENEY ICS^OX, ESQ. 



INSTRUCTIONS FOR HENRY KNOX, ESQ. 

You are immediately to examine into the state of the artillery of this 
army, and take an account of the cannon, mortars, shells, lead, and am- 
munition that are wanting ; "when you have done that, you are to pro- 
ceed in the most expeditious manner to New York ; there apply to the 
president of the Provincial Congress, and learn of him whether Col. 
Reed did any thing, or left any orders respecting these things, and get 
him to procure such of them as can possibly be had there. The pi'esi- 
dent, if he can, will have them immediately sent hither ; if he cannot, you 
must put them in a proper channel for being transported to this camp 
with despatch before )'ou leave New York. After you have procured as 
many of these necessaries as you can there, you must go to Major-Gen- 
cral Schuyler and get the remainder from Ticonderoga, Crown Point, or 
St. John's ; if it should be necessary, from Quebec, if in our hands. 
The want of them is so great, that no trouble or expense must be sjjared 
to obtain them. I have wrote to General Schuyler, he will give every 
necessary assistance, that they may be had and forwarded to this place 
with the utmost despatch. I have given you a warrant to the Paymaster- 
General of the Continental Army, for a thousand dollars, to defray the 
expense attending your journey and procuring these articles, an account 
of which you are to keep and render upon your return. 

Given under my hand at head-quarters at Cambridge this 16th day 

of November, Annotpie Domini, 1775. 

G. Washington. 

Endeavor to procure > 

what flints you can. S 



AN INVENTORY OF CANNON, &c., BROUGHT FROM TICON- 
DEROGA, DECEMBER 10, 1775, AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR 
THEIR TRANSPORTATION. 



MORTARS AND COHORNS. 



Brass ' 



Iron • 



2 Cohorns 
4 do. 
1 mortar. 
1 do. 



do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 



Dim. of bore. 

^ 

8i 



Ft. & ins. 
of length. 

1—4 
1—1 
2—0 

2-0 



Weight. Total w'ht. 
150 300 

100 400 
300 300 
300 300 



6i 1—10 600 600 

10 3— 6 1800 1800 

lOi 3— 6 1800 1800 

13 3 (average) 2300 6900 



Iron 



AN INVENTORY OF CANNON, ETC. 545 



HOWITZERS. 

1 8 3—4 15.2.15 15.2.15 

1 81 8—4 15.2.15 15.2.15 



2 (16) 



CANNON. 



Brass 



350 


2800 


600 


1800 


2000 


2000 


.3.18 


1800 


2500 


15,000 


2500 


10,000 


2800 


28,000 


4000 


28,000 


5000 


15,000 



8 3 pounders 32V 3 — 6 

3 6 do. 3iV 4—6 

1 18 do. 5i 8—3 

1 24 do. 51^ 5—6 

(6 6 do. 0^0 9—7 

I 4 9 do. 4,*^ 8—4 

Iron <! 10 12 do. 4f 9 

I 7dblefortif.l8do. 5^ 9 

t 3 18 do. 5^ 11 

To. can., 43 . total weight, 119,900 

Mortars, 16 

59 

By all means endeavor that the heavy cannon and mortars go off' first. 

Let the touch-holes and vents of all the mortars and cannon be turned 
downwards. The lead and flints are to come as far as Albany, which 
will serve to make up a load. Observe that 2 pairs of horses be [put] to 
between 2 or 3 thousand weight, and 3 or 4 pair for the 4000 weight, and 
4 span for those of 5000 weight ; but Mr. Schuyler the D. Q. G. will 
see more particularly to this affair. The one span will take above 1000 
weight. They are to receive seven £ per ton for every 62 miles, or 12s. 
per day for each span of horses. Write to me by every slay the quantity 
that is upon that slay. When a number of slays go off" together, one 
letter will serve for the whole, mentioning the cannon that each have par- 
ticularly, and the people's names. AH to be delivered at Springfield or 
Boston. 



69 



546 



KNOX'S ARTILLERY REGIMENT. 



KNOX'S ARTILLERY REGIMENT, AS ARRANGED 
16 MARCH, 1776. 

Henry Knox, CoL, com. 17 Nov. 1775. 

William Burbeck, 1st Lieut.-col. ,, 1 Jan. 1776. 
David Mason, 2d ,, ,, 1 ,, ,, 

John Crane, 1st Major ,, 1 ,, ,, 

John Lamb, 2d ,, ,, 1 ,, ,, 



Edward Crafts. 
Thomas Pierce. 
Thos. Waite Foster. 
Edward Burbeck, 



Benj. Enstis. 
Wm. Tread well. 
Benj. Frothingham. 
Timothv Stow. 



Thomas Randall. 
David Briant. 
Henry Burbeck. 
Wm. Stevens. 



CAPTAINS. 

William Perkins. 
Dimond Morton. 
Stephen Badlam. 
Eliphalet Newell. 

CAPT.-LIEVTS. 

Jotham Horton. 
Edward Ruraney. 
David Allen. 
Winthroji Sargent. 

FIRST LIE UTS. 

Jona. Welch Edes. 
Samuel Treat. 
Jolm Brvant. 



William Dana. 
Ebenezer Stevens. 
Jotham Drury. 



John Johnston. 
Thomas Seward. 
Asa Rowson. 
Benajah Carpenter. 



Isaac Packard. 

David Cook. 
Jolm Sluman. 



Thomas Wells. 
John Lillie. 
Joseph Loring. 
Thos. Vose. 
David Preston. 
Thomas Dean. 
Thomas Jackson. 
James Furnivall. 



SECOND LIE UTS. 

Peter King. 
Joseph Savage. 
Joseph Thomas. 
Samuel Shaw. 
Daniel Parker. 
Hardy Peirce. 
Isaiah Simmons. 
Oliver Brown. 
John Chandler. 



Thos. Machin. 
Joseph Blake. 
John Bull. 
James Steel. 
T. J. Carnes. 
Samuel Doggett. 
Jeremiah Freeman. 
Jeremiah Niles. 



DISPOSITION OF TROOPS AT NEW YORK. 547 



DISPOSITION OF TROOPS AT NEW YORK AFTER AUG. 9, 
AND BEFORE THE BATTLE OF AUG. 27, 1776. 

Major-Gen. Putnam. Stations. 

["James Clinton (late Heatlvs) . . On the North River above 

I The Furnace. 

Brigadiers^ John M. Scott The City. 

j John Fellows From the Glass House to 

t Greenwich. 

Major-Gen. Heath. 

„ . ,. ^ Thos. Mifflin Mount Washington. 

Brigadiers < ^, ^-„. ^ t-- i tj -j 

( George Clinton King's Bridge. 

Major-Gen. Spexcer. 

'Samuel H. Parsons From the Ship Yard to 

Jones's Hill, including 

Brigadiers^ a redoubt on the plain. 

j James Wadsworth On the East River in the 

I city. 

Major-Gen. Sullivan. 

T, . T S Lord Stirling As a reserve near Bay- 

Bngadiers < . ,^ ^ „ „ .t-,, 

^ l A. McDougall ard's Hdl. 

Major-Gen. Greene. 

Ti . T S John Nixon Long and Governor's Isl- 

Brigadiers \ j, ., ■, 

I Heard ands. 



ORDER OF MARCH TO TRENTON. 

Each brigade to be furnished with two good guides. Gen. Stephen's 
brigade to form the advance party, and to have with them a detachment 
of the artillery without cannon, provided with spikes and hammers to 
spike up the enemies' cannon in ca.se of necessity, or to bring them oif 
if it can be effected, the party to be provided with drag-ropes for the 
purpose of dragging off the cannon. Gen. Stephen is to attack and 
force the enemy's guards and seize such posts as may prevent them from 
forming in the streets, and in case they are annoyed from the houses to 
set them on fire. The brigades of Mercer and Lord Stirling, under the 
command of Major-Gen. Greene, to support Gen. Stephen. This is the 
2d division or left wing of the army, and to march by the way of the 
Pennington road. 



548 ORDER OF MARCH TO TRENTON. 

St. Clair's, Glover's, and Sargent's brigades, under Major-Gen. Sulli- 
van, to march by the river road. This is the first division of the army, 
and to form the right wing. Lord Sterling's brigade to form the reserve 
of the left wing, and Gen. St. Clair's brigade the reserve of the right 
wing. These reserves to form a second line in conjunction, or a second 
line to each division, as circumstances may require. 

Each brigadier to make the colonels acquainted with the posts of their 
respective regiments in the brigade, and the major-generals will inform 
them of the posts of the brigades in the line. 

Four pieces of artillery to march at the head of each column ; three 
pieces at the head of the second brigade of each division; and two pieces 
with each of the reserves. The troops to be assembled one mile back of 
McKonkey's Ferry, and as soon as it begins to grow dark the troops to 
be marched to McKonkey's Ferry, and embark on board the boats in 
following order under the direction of Col. Knox. 

Gen. Stephen's brigade, with the detachment of artillerymen, to embark 
first; Gen. Mercer's next; Lord Stirling's next; Gen. Fernioy's next,^ 
Avho will march in to the rear of the second division, and file off from the 
Pennington to the Princeton road in such direction that he can with the 
greatest ease and safety secure the passes between Princeton and Tren- 
ton. The guides will be the best judges of this. He is to take two 
pieces of artillery with him. St. Clair's, Glover's, and Sargent's brigades 
to embark in order. Immediately upon their debarkation, the whole to 
form and march in subdivisions from the right. 'J'he commanding officers 
of regiments to observe that the divisions be equal, and that proper 
cflicers be appointed to each. A profound silence to be enjoined, and 
no man to quit his ranks on the pain of death. Each brigadier to appoint 
flanking parlies ; the reserve brigades to appoint the rear guards of the 
columns ; the heads of the columns to be appointed to arrive at Trenton 
at five o'clock. 

Capt. Washington and Capt. T , with a party of forty men each, 

to march before the divisions and post themselves on the road about 
three miles from Trenton, and make prisoners of all going in or coming 
out of town. 

Gen. Stephen will ai)point a guard to form a chain of sentries round 
the landing-place at a sufficient distance from the river to permit the 
troops to form, this guard not to suffer any person to go in or come out, 
but to detain all persons who attempt either. This guard to join their 
brigade when the troops are all over. 



DEFENCES OF THE DELAWARE. 549 



DEFENCES OF THE DELAWARE, 9 AUG. 1777. 

It is the opinion of the subscriber that the batteries on Fort Island 
(Fort Mifflin) ought to have an additional work thrown up upon its left, 
' and garrisoned with 12 pieces heavy cannon, loO cannoneers, half as many 
assistants, with 500 infantry. 

Red Bank to be so constructed as to have 5 or 6 cannon on the land 
side, and as many heavy towards the i-iver, to prevent any ships coming 
up the channel leading to it, in order to flank the galleys which may be 
stationed for the defence of the cheveaiix defrise near the fort. 

BiLLiNGSPORT to be finished as at present contracted, or, if possible, 
more so, so as to hold 300 men, exclusive of 150 cannoneers and 75 
assistants, to work 12 pieces heavy cannon, which ought to be in this work. 
The galleys to lie opposite to it at the head of the low island, in order 
to assist the fire of Billingsport. These galleys would be for this purpose 
preferable to the floating batteries, as they can be most easilv moved in 
case of an accident to Billingsport. 

If much depends on the fire-ships, an enclosed battery ought to be con- 
structed on some advantageous piece of ground near Derby's Creek, and 
something higher up the river than where the present defective battery 
is : this, in order to prevent any of the enemy's ships mooring at the 
mouth of the western channel, so as to prevent the fire-ships being sent 
round into the main ship-channel ; and between this western channel is 
thought to be most commodious for the free operation of the fire-ships, 
either in the channel leading to Billingsport or further down the river. 
The galleys ought also to lie in the western channel if their retreat is 
perfectly secure, as the commodore (Hazlewood) says, as well in order 
to protect the fire-ships as to annoy any of the enemy's fi-igates which 
may be opposed to Billingsport. But the two floating batteries, which 
from their unwieldiness cannot be easily moved, together with the frigates 
and xebeks, ought to lie behind the second row of cheveaux de frise upon 
a line with Fort Island. 

If there should be time enough, a strong enclosed work ought to be 
thrown up on Fort Island capable of containing 400 or 500 men, and 
advantage may be taken of part of the stone work already erected, and 
which in its present state would be infinitely detrimental to any body of 
men who may seek shelter from it. 

These sentiments are respectfully submitted by, sir, 

Your most obedient, humble servant, 

Henry Knox, 
His Excellency General Washington. Briqadier-Oen. 



550 OPINION RELATIVE TO TAKING 



OPINION AS TO THE FEASIBILITY OF TAKING PHILA- 
DELPHIA BY STORM. 

In Ansioer to Wasliingtoii's Queries, given 26 Nov. 1777. 

Sir, — I exceedingly Lunent my want of ability and experience to fill 
properly the important station in which I am, and am more particularly 
distressed when such important questions are referred to my decision as 
those which your Excellency gave us in charge last evening. The happi- 
ness or misery of the people of America may be the consequence of a 
right or erroneous judgment. 

Much has lately been urged concerning the reputation of our arms, 
as if we had long been a warlike nation, whose existence, like the ancient 
Romans, depended on their military service. I confess I view the matter 
diiferently, and cannot bring myself to believe (how much soever I may 
wish it) that we are upon a par in military knowledge and skill with our 
enemies. Indeed it is not possible, and the sensible part of mankind 
will know it. . . . 

The gentlemen who urge the desperate measure of attacking the ene- 
my's lines, redoubts, and the city of Philadelphia, seem to forget the many 
principles laid down by people experienced in the art of war against our 
engaging in general actions upon equal terms ; against our risking our all 
on the event of single battles. In the beginning of the contest our friends 
in England urged the impropriety of such conduct, giving instances of 
numbers of States who lost their liberties by means of them. It is an 
invariable principle in war that it cannot be the interest at the same time 
of both parties to engage. It is also another fixed principle that the 
invaders of a country ought to bring the defenders of it to action as soon 
as possible. But I believe there is not a single maxim in war that will 
justify a number of undisciplined troops attacking an equal number of 
disciiilined troops strongly posted in redoul)ts and having a strong city 
in their rear, such as Philadelphia. 

It is proposed to attack the enemy's redoubts without being perfectly 
acquainted with their number, strength, or situation, witli troops of whom 
we have had tiie experience of two capital actions, that it was impossible 
to rally them after they were broken. By the mode of attack proposed 
we are to stake the liberties of America on a single attempt in which the 
probability of success is against us, and, if defeated, of sacrificing the 
happiness of posterity to what is called the reputation of our arms. 

It has been agreed that the enemy's force consists of 10,000 rank and 
file fit for duty. It is said Lord Cornwallis has taken with him from 1500 
to 3000, — suppose the number 2.500, which is .500 more than I believe 
he has, there remain 7.500 rank and file fit for dutv. Our returns are 



PHILADELPHIA BY STORM. 551 

8000. I say 8000, because I hold the militia in case of an attack of this 
kind useless entirely, for we know they will not stand within the range 
of a cannon-ball. We are to attack 7500 strongly posted in redoubts, 
having batteries and a strong city in their rear. In this instance the idea 
that it is necessary among disciplined troops of having three to one to 
storm works is laid aside, not because our troops are better disciplined 
than their enemy's, but because from a concurrence of circumstances our 
affairs are in a desjjerale situation, and we must retrieve them or perish. 

iNIurshai Saxe says redoubts are the strongest and most excellent kind 
of field fortifications, and infinitely preferable to extended lines, because 
each redoubt requires a separate attack, one of which succeeding does 
not facilitate the reduction of the others. Charles XII., with the best 
troops in the world, was totally rained in the attack of seven redoubts at 
Pultowa, although he succeeded in taking three of them. 

The character of the British troops in Europe is far above mediocrity, 
and the experience we have had of their discipline and valor proves them 
by no means contemptible. In the commencement of this war they 
stormed an unfinished work on Bunker's Hill, but the experience gained 
there has entirely prevented them from making any similar attempts. 
Indeed, the Germans lately made an attempt on Red Bank, the event of 
which will haruly give them a favorable opinion of the attack of redoubts 
by stoi'm. 

The situation of the American army on Long Island, after the battle of 
August 27th, was exceedingly ineligible, and the enemy must have known 
it ; but they did not attempt to carry our redoubts by storm, although, 
had they succeeded in one instance, and made a sufficient opening for 
the introduction of a large column of troops, the greatest part of our 
army then on the island must have fallen a sacrifice, or have been taken 
prisoners. 

From the experience derived from reading and some little service and 
the knowledge of the strength of the enemy's works, my opinion is clearly, 
pointedly, and .positively against an attack on the enemy's redoubts, 
because I am fully convinced a defeat would be certain and inevitable. 

My opinion is to draw our whole force together, take post at, and 
fortify Germantown, considering it as our winter quarters. When the 
works there are in a tolerable state of defence, I should be for taking our 
whole force (except one brigade to guard the works), and proceed upon 
the enemy's line, offering them battle, which, if they declined, would in 
the opinion of every rational man fully evince our superiority in point 
of strength. If they should come out. fight, and defeat us, we have a 
secure retreat and winter quarters. 

I have thus offered my sentiments to your Excellency with freedom ; 
but if a contrary disposition should take place, and an attack be resolved 



552 ORDNANCE FOR THE SIEGE OF YORKTOWN. 

upon, I shall endeavor to execute the part that may be assigned me to 
the utmost of my ability. 

I am with the most profound respect your Excellency's most obedient, 
humble servant. H. Kxox, 

Brig. -Gen. Artillery. 
Artillery Park, Camp Whitemarsh, 26th Nov. 1777. 

His Excellency General Washington. 

The question was, whether it would be advisable to attack the enemy's 
redoubts and the city of Philadelphia by way of storm; to throw twelve 
hundred troops into the city by the way of the Delaware, embarking 
them in boats at Diinx's Ferry, sixteen miles above the city. 



AN ACCOUNT OF THE ORDNANCE WHICH WILL BE AT- 
TACHED TO THE AMERICAN ARMY IN THE INTENDED 
OPERATIONS (SIEGE OF I'ORKTOWN) TO THE SOUTH- 
WARD. 

FIELD ARTILLERY. 

BRASS. 

2 12 pounders. r These with implements and car- 
4 3 pounders. 1 riages complete, and two hundred 
6 6 pounders. j rounds to each piece, with the 

3 5^ howitzers. (. proper quantity of small stores. 

15 

FOR A SIEGK. 
IRON. BRASS. 

3 24 pounders. 2 8 inch mortars. 

20 18 pounders. 3 8 inch howitzers. 

10 10 inch mortars. 
6 5^ inch mortars. 
The above complete with carriages, beds, and implements, powder, 
sh :)t, and shells, sufficient for five hundred rounds to each piece. 

H. Knox. 

Park of Artillery, 24th August, 1781. 
His Excellency General Washington. 



DRAFT OF KNOX'S ADDRESS TO WASHINGTON. 553 



"ROUGH DRAFT [BY KNOX] OF AN ADDRESS TO HIS 
EXCELLENCY GEN. WASHINGTON, 14 NOV. 1783." 

[A^ee the Farewell Address, Washington's Writings, vol. viii. p. -491.] 

" All the officers of the part of the army remaining on the banks of the 
Hudson have received your Excellency's Serious and Farewell Address 
to the Armies of the United States. We beg your acceptance of our 
unfeigned thanks for the communication and your affectionate profes- 
sions of inviolable attachment and friendship. If your attempts to insure 
them the just, the promised rewards of their long, severe, and dangerous 
services have failed of success, we believe it has arisen from causes not 
in your Excellency's power to control. With extreme regret do we 
reflect on the occasion which called for such endeavors. But, while we 
thank your Excellency for these exertions in favor of the troops you 
have so successfully commanded, we pray it may be believed that in 
this sentiment our own particular interests have but a secondary place ; 
and that even the ultimate ingratitude of the people (were that possible) 
would not shake the patriotism of those who suffer by it. Still with 
pleasing wonder and with grateful joy shall we contemplate the glorious 
conclusion of our labors. To that merit in the Revolution which, under 
the auspices of Heaven, the army have displaced, posterity will do jus- 
tice ; and the sons will blush whose fathers were their foes. Most gladly 
would we cast a veil on every act that sullies the reputation of our 
country. Never should the page of history be stained with its dishonor, 
even from our memories should the idea be erased. We lament the op- 
position to those salutary measures which the wisdom of the Union has 
planned, — measures which alone can recover and fix on a permanent 
basis the credit of the States, — measures which are essential to the 
justice, the honor, and interest of the nation. While she was giving the 
noblest proofs of magnanimity, with conscious pride we saw her growing 
fame ; and, regardless of present sufferings, we looked forward to the 
end of our toils and dangers, to brighter scenes in prospect. There we 
beheld the Genius of our country dignified by sovereignty and independ- 
ence, supported by Justice, and adorned with every liberal virtue. 
There we saw patient Husbandry fearless extend her cultured fields, and 
animated Commerce spread her sails to every wind that blows. There 
we beheld fair Science lift her head, with all the arts attending in her 
train. There, blest with Freedom, we saw the human mind expand ; and, 
throwing aside the restraints which (confined us to the narrow bounds of 
country, it embraced the World. Such were our fond hoi)es ; and with 
such delightful prospects did they present us. Nor arc we disappointed, 

70 



554 THANKS OF NEW YORK COUNCIL TO KNOX. 

Those animating prospects are now changL-d and changing to realities; 
and actively to have contributed to their production is our pride, our 
glory. But Justice alone can give them stability. In that Justice we 
still believe. Still we hope that the prejudices of the misinformed will 
be removed, and the arts of false and selfish popularity, addressed to the 
feelings of avarice, defeated, or, in the worst event, the world, we hope, 
will mark the just distinction. We trust the disingenuousness of a few 
will not sully the reputation, the honor, and dignity of the great and re- 
spectable majority of the States. 

" We are happy in the opportunity just presented of congratulating 
your Excellency on the certain conclusion of the definitive treaty of 
Peace. Relieved at length from long suspense, our warmest wish is to 
return to the bosom of our country, to resume the character of citizens ; 
and it will be our highest ambition to become useful ones. 

"To your Excellency, this great event must be peculiarly pleasing ; 
for while at the head of her armies, urged by patriot virtues and magna- 
nimity, you steadily persevered, under the pressure of every possible 
difficulty and discouragement, in the pursuit of the great objects of the 
Avar, — the freedom and safety of your country. — your heart panted for 
the tranquil enjoyments of peace. We cordially rejoice with you that 
the period of indulging them has arrived so soon. In contemplating the 
blessings of liberty a.nd independence, the rich prize of eight years' hardy 
adventure, past sufferings will be forgotten ; or, if remembered, the rec- 
ollection will serve to heighten the relish of present happiness. We 
sincerely pray God this happiness may long be yours ; and that when 
you quit the stage of hinnan life you may receive from the Uxerring 
Judge the rewards of valor exerted to save the oppressed, of patriotism 
and disinterested virtue." 



THANKS OF THE GOVERNOR AND COUNCH. OF NEW YORK 
TO KNOX AND HIS COMMAND. 

Crrv OK Nkw York, Dec. 18, 178:?. 
State of New Yokk, ss. 

In Council, &c., &c. 

Resolved, That his Excellency the Governor be requested to present 
the thanks of this Council to Major-General Knox, and the officers and 
privates of the detachment under his command, for the attention they 
have manifested to the rights of the citizens of this State, and for their 
aid in preserving the peace and good order of the Southern District, 



LETTERS. ODD 

since the evacuation thereof by the forces of his Britannic Majesty ; to 
assure them of the grateful sense this Council entertains of their essen- 
tial services, as well of those that they, as a part of the American army, 
have rendered to the inhabitants of thi.s State, in common with the other 
citizens of America during the late long and arduous contest. 

James M. Hughes, Sec'')/. 

The above was transmitted by Governor Clinton, with the following 
note : — 

" Siu, It gives me great pleasure to find my sentiments of the services 
rendered by you and the officers and men under your command to the 
inhabitants of this State, expressed by the Council ; and it is with pecu- 
liar satisfaction that I obey their order in communicating the enclosed 
resolution to you, and through you to the officers and privates who are 
also objects of it." 



LETTERS. 



KNOX TO LA FAYETTE. 



New Yokk, 14tli Dec. 1783. 

I have written to you, my dear Marquis, several times, expressing 
my affection for you, and informing you how dear you were to America in 
general. These sentiments you must not regard as compliments, but the 
language of sincerity. Our independence is now established, and we 
feel the warmest gratitude for all the means which have contributed to 
effect it. 

We have been flattered with the hope of your visiting us again, but in 
this we have not yet been gratified ; but in pursuance of the spirit which 
accompanied us through the war we still hope on. The English have at 
last left us to ourselves with the full expectation that we shall not know 
how to govern the ship of state, and that we must a|)ply to the stead;/ 
and experienced pilots of Britain. Time, which matures all things, will 
explain this matter. 

Our much loved friend, the General, has gone from this city to Con- 
gress, and from thence to Mount Vernon, attended with the entire bless- 
ings of his country. How inexpressibly rich are his feelings ! Conscious 
of having done well and at the same time to have his conduct universally 
appreciated; is a rare felicity. 

I send this note by the Chevalier Villefranche, who is going with Major 
Rochefontaine to France. They both are men of merit and deserve the 
protection of all good men, therefore I am ccn-tain of their receiving your 
countenance. 



556 LETTERS. 



TO LA FAYETTE. 

New YoitK, 25 July, 1787. 

My dear Makquis, — I thank yon for your highly esteemed favor of 
the 5th of ]\Iay. The information is truly important [Knox here refers 
to the meeting of the assembly of notables], and convinces me that the 
French nobility possess the true spirit of justice and liberality. Go on ! 
you are on the right road, but remember that it is rough and full of dan- 
gers. Integrity, intelligence, and perseverance "will pvercome, but you 
must neither sleep nor slumber politically. I feel so extremely intei-ested, 
my dear Marquis, for your happiness, that I could not restrain the above 
caution : jou will attribute it solely to my aflFection. I know your 
sagacity, and I also know your zeal. You have mighty difficulties to com- 
bat : dissipate them, and you attain the summit of human fame. 

Our friend General Washington is anxiously engaged in the business 
of reforming the political machine. The Convention, in which is repre- 
sented every State excepting Rhode Island, has been sitting upwards of 
two months, and will ])robably continue together for two months to come. 
They are secret in their councils, conceiving with great propi'iety that the 
people ought not to see only half the plan at a time. Whether the prop- 
ositions of the Convention will be as useful as the occasion may require 
is a discovery only to be made by time. But from the characters who 
compose the Convention it may be fairly presumed that the result of their 
deliberations will be as wise as could be expected from men under the same 
circumstances. Many of the members without absorbing all the talents 
of the community are certainlj^ men of the first abilities. 

General Washington's judgment is on this great occasion, as it always 
has been, the effect of great deliberation and reflection. It is mature 
and wise. His attendance in the Convention adds, in my opinion, new 
lustre to his character. Secure as he was in his fame, he has again com- 
mitted it to the mercy of events. Nothing but the critical situation of 
his country would have induced him to so hazardous a conduct ; but, 
when its happiness is being endangered, he disregards all personal con- 
siderations. 



WASHINGTON TO KNOX. 

Mount Vernon, 28 Feb. 1785. 

i thank you ibr the particular account which you have given me of 

the different rivers to which the British have given the name of St." Croix. 

I shall be much mistaken if they do not in other matters as well as this 

give us a good deal of trouljle before we are done with them, and yet it 



LETTERS. 557 

does not appear to me that we have Avisdom or national policy enough to 
avert the evils which are impending. How should we, when contracted 
ideas, local jiursuits, and absurd jealousies are continually leading us 
from those great and fundamental principles which are characteristic of 
wise and powerful nations, and without which we are no more than a 
rope of sand and shall as easily be broken ? 

In the course of your literary disputes at Boston (on the one side to 
drink tea in company and to be social and gay, on the [other] to impose 
restraints which at no time even were agreeable, and in these days of 
more liberty and indulgence never will be submitted to) , I perceived and 
was most interested by something which was said respecting the compo- 
sition for a public walk, which also appears to be one of the exception- 
able things. Now, as I am engaged in works of this kind, I would thank 
you if there is any art in the preparation to communicate it to me, 
whether designed for carriages or walking. My gardens have gravel 
walks (as you possibly may recollect), in the usual style, but if a better 
composition has been discovered for these I should gladly adopt it. The 
matter, however, which I wish principally to be informed in is whether 
your walks are designed for carriages, and, if so, how they are prepared 
to resist the pressure of the wheels. I am making a serpentine road to 
my door, and have doubts (which it may be in your power to remove) 
whether any thing short of solid pavement will answer." 



EXTRACTS FROM KN'OX'S LETTERS TO WASHINGTON RESPECTING THE 
FORMATION OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. 

Boston, 31st Jan. 1785. 

Your remarks on the present situation of our country are indeed too 
just. The different States have not only different views of the same 
subject, but some of them have views that sooner or later must involve 
the country in all the horrors of civil war. If there is any good policy 
which pervades generally our public measures, it is too mysterious to be 
comprehended by people out of the cabinet. A neglect in every State 
of those principles which lead to union and national greatness, an 
adoption of local in preference to general measures, appear to actuate 
the gi-eater jiart of the State politicians. We are entirely destitute of 
those traits which should stamp us one nation, and the Constitution of 
Congress does not promise any capital alteration for the better. Great 
measures will not be carried in Congress so much by the propriety, 
utility, and necessity of the thing, but as a matter of compromise for 
something else, which may be evil itself, or have a tendency to evil. This 
perhaps is not so much the fault of the members as a defect of the con- 



558 LETTERS. 

federation. Every State considers its representative in Congress not so 
much the legislator of the whole union as its own immediate agent or. 
ambassador to negotiate, and to endeavor to create in Congress as great 
an influence as possible to favor particular views, &c. With a constitu- 
tion productive of such dispositions, is it possible that the Americans can 
ever rival the Roman name ? The operation of opening the navigation 
of the rivers so as to communicate with the Western States is truly noble ; 
and, if successful, of which I hope there is not a doubt, it must be fol- 
lowed by the most extensively beneficial consequences, which will increase 
in exact proportion to the increase of the population of the country. I 
am pleased that you interest yourself so niuch in this great work. 

You are so good as to ask whether General Lincoln and myself had an 
agreeable tour to the eastward, and whether the State societies are mak- 
ing moves towards obtaining charters. We went to the eastern line of 
this State, and found that the British had made excessive encroachments 
on our territories. There are three rivers in the Bay of Passamaquoddy, 
to which the British have within twenty years past, with a view to con- 
found the business, given the name of St. Croix. But the ancient St. 
Croix is the eastern river. The British have settled and built a consid- 
erable town called St. Andrews on the middle river, which has always 
sustained among the jieople in that country the Indian name Schudac. 
The proper St. Croix and the Schudac are only nine miles distant at their 
mouths. They run into the country about sixty miles, and they diverge 
from each other so much, that although at their mouths they are only 
nine miles apart, yet at their sources they are one hundred miles distant 
from each other ; and it is from the source the north line to the mountains 
is to begin. The mountains are distant from the source about 80 or 100 
miles ; so that the difference to this State is 100 miles square above the 
heads of the rivers and the land between the rivers, which must be 60 by 
50 miles square. Our legislature have transmitted the report we made 
on this business to Congress and the Governor of Nova Scotia. The 
matter has been involved designedly by the British in such a manner that 
it can now be settled only by commissioners mutually appointed for that 
purpose. I have seen a letter from Mr. John Adams, dated last October, 
which mentions that the river meant by the treaty of peace was decidedly 
the river next to St. John's River westward ; and there are plenty of proofs 
that the ancient St. Croix was the next to St. John's. I have been par- 
ticular in this narration, that you may know the precise state of this affair, 
which it is probable will sooner or later occasion much conversation. 

As to the Cincinnati, the objections against it are apparently removed. 
But I believe none have yet applied for charters. In this State it is pretty 
evident from communicating with the members of the legislature that we 
should not succeed. However, we shall attempt it previous to our next 
meeting in July. 



LETTERS. 559 

(Pla7i for a General Government.) 

New York, 14th Jan. 1787. 

. . . Xotwithstanding the contrary opinions respecting the proposed 
Convention, were I to pi-esume to give my own judgment it would be in 
favor of the Convention, and I sincerely hope that it may be generally 
attended. ... In my former letters I mentioned that men of reflection 
and principle were tired of the imbecilities of the present government, 
but I did not point out any substitute. It would be prudent to form the 
plan of a new house before we pull down the old one. The subject has 
not been sufliciently discussed as yet in public to decide precisely on the 
form of the edifice. It is out of all question that the foundation must 
be of republican principles, but so modified and wrought together that 
whatever shall be erected thereon should be durable and eflicient. I speak 
entirely of the federal government, or, which would be better, one gov- 
ernment instead of an association of governments. Were it possible to 
effect a general government of this kind, it might be constituted of an 
Assembly or Lower House, chosen for one, two, or three years ; a Senate, 
chosen for five, six, or seven years ; and the Executive, under the title 
of Governor-General, chosen by the Assembly and Senate for the term 
of seven years, but liable to an impeachment of the Lower House and 
triable by the Senate ; a Judiciary, to be appointed by the Governor- 
General during good behavior, but impeachable by the Lower House 
and triable by the Senate ; the laws passed by the general government 
to be obeyed by the local governments, and, if necessary, to be enforced 
by a body of armed men, to be kept for the purposes which should be 
designated ; all national objects to be designed and executed by the 
general government without any reference to the local governments. 
This rude sketch is considered as the government of the least possible 
powers to preserve the confederated governments. To attempt to estab- 
lish less will be to hazard the existence of republicanism, and to subject 
us either to a division of the European powers, or to a despotism arising 
from high-handed commotions. 

I have thus, my dear sir, obeyed what seemed to be your desire, and 
given you the ideas which have presented themselves from reflection, and 
the opinion of others. May Heaven direct us to the best means for the 
dignity and happiness of the United States. 



New York, 19 March, 1787. 
As you have thought proper, my dear sir, to i-equest my opinion 
respecting your attendance at the Convention, I shall give it with the 
utmost sincerity and frankness. 



560 LETTERS. 

I imagine that yovir own satisfaction or chagrin, and that of your 
friends, will depend entirely on the result of the Convention. For I 
take it for granted that, however reluctantly you may acquiesce, that you 
will be constrained to accept of the president's chair. Hence the pro- 
ceedings of the Convention will more inuuediately be appropriated to 
you than to any other ])orson. 

Were the Convention to propose only amendments and patchwork to 
the present defective confederation, your reputation would in a degree 
suffer. But, were an energetic and judicious system to be proposed with 
your signature, it would be a circumstance highly honorable to your fame 
in the judgment of the present and future ages ; and doubly entitle you 
to the glorious republican epithet, " The Father of your Country." 

But, the men generally chosen being of the first information, great 
reliance may be placed on the wisdom and vigor of their councils and 
judgments, and therefore the balance of my opinion preponderates greatly 
in favor of your attendance. 

I am persuaded that your name has had already great influence to 
induce the States to come into the measure ; that your attendance will 
be grateful and your non-attendance chagrining ; that your presence 
would confer on the assembly a national complexion, and that it would 
more than any other circumstance induce a compliance to the proposi- 
tions of the Convention. 

I have never written to you concerning your intention of declining to 
accept again the presidency of the Cincinnati. I can only say that the 
idea afHIcts me exceedingly. 

That the Society was formed with pure motives you well know. In 
the only instance in which it has had tlie least political operation the 
effects have been truly noble. I mean in Massachusetts, where the 
officers are still unpaid and extremely depressed in their private circum- 
stances, but notwithstanding which the moment the government was in 
danger they unanimously pledged themselves for its support, while 
the few wretched officers who were agamst government Avere not of the 
Cincinnati. The clamor and prejudice which existed against it are no 
more. The men who have been most against it say that the Society is 
the only bar to lawless ambition and dreadful anarchy to which the im- 
becility of government renders us so liable, and the same men express 
their apiirehenslons of your resignation. 

Could I have the happiness of a private conversation with you, I think 
I could offer you such reasons as to induce you to suspend your decision 
for another period of three years. Suffer me then, my dear sir, to 
entreat that you would come to Philadelphia one week earlier than you 
would in order to attend the Convention, and to cheer the hearts of your 
old military friends with your presence. Tliis would rivet their affections. 



LETTERS. 561 

and entirely remove your enibarras.sment In this respect of attending the 
Convention. 

God, who knows my heart, knows that I woiihl not solicit this st<>p, 
were I of opinion that your reputation would suffer the least injury by it. 
I fully believe that it would not. But I believe that should you attend 
the Convention, and not meet the Cincinnati, that it would sorely wound 
your sincere friends, and please those who dare not avow themselves 
your enemies. 



9 April, 1787. 

. . . It is the general wish that you should attend. It is conceived to be 
highly important to the success of the propositions of the Convention. 
The mass of the people feel the inconveniences of the present govern- 
ment, and ardently wish for such alterations as would remedy them. The 
Convention appears the only means to effect the alterations peaceably. 
If that should be unattended by a proper weight of wisdom and chai'acter, 
so as to carry into execution its propositions, we are to look to events 
and force for a remedy. Were you not then to attend the Convention, 
slander and malice might suggest that force would be the most agreeable 
mode of recourse to you. AVhen civil commotion rages, no purity of 
character and services, however exalted, can entirely shield from the 
shafts of calumny. 

On the other hand, the unbounded confidence the people have in your 
tried patriotism and wisdom would exceedingly facilitate the adoption of 
any important alterations that might be proposed by a Convention of 
which you were a member, and, as I before hinted. President. 

... I have a letter from the Marquis de la Fayette of the 7th of Feb- 
ruary. He looks forward to military employment in this country for the 
reduction of the western posts and Canada. But one might venture to 
predict that no such operations will be undertaken until the government 
shall be radically amended : at present we are all imbecility. 



14th Aug. 1787. 

. . . Although I frankly confess that the existence of the state govern- 
ments is an insuperable evil in a national point of view, yet I do not well 
see how in this stage of the business they could be annihilated ; and per- 
haps, while they continue, the frame of government could not with pro- 
priety be much higher toned than the one proposed. It is so infinitely 
preferable to the present constitution, and gives such a bias to a proper 
line of conduct in future, that I think all men anxious for a national gov- 
ernment should zealously embrace it. 

The education, genius, and habits of men on this continent are so 

71 



562 LETTERS. 

various, and of consequence tlieir views of the same subject so different, 
that I am satisfied with the result of the Convention, although it is short 
of my wishes and of my judgment. But when I find men of the purest 
intentions concur in embracing a system which, on the highest delibera- 
tion, seems to be the best which can be obtained under present circum- 
stances, 1 am convinced of the propriety of its being strenuously supported 
by all those who have wished for a national republic of higher and more 
durable powers. 



3d Oct. 1787. 

. . . Every point of view in which I have been able to place the subject 
induces me to believe that the moment in which the Convention assembled 
and the result thereof are to be estimated among those fortunate circum- 
stances in the affairs of men which give a decided influence to the happi- 
ness of society for a long period of time. Hitherto every thing promises 
well. The new constitution is received with great joy by all the commer- 
cial part of the community. The people of Boston are in raptures with 
it as it is, but wcftdd have liked it still better had it been higher toned. 

I trust in God that the foundation of a good national government is 
laid. A way is opened to such alterations and amendments from time to 
time as shall be judged necessary ; and the government, being subjected 
to a revision by the people, will not be so liable to abuse. The first 
legislature ought to be the ablest and most disinterested men of the com- 
munity. Every well-founded objection which shall be stated in the course 
of the discussions on the subject should be fairly considered, and such 
fundamental laws enacted as would tend to obviate them. 



New York, 10th Feb. 1788. 

. . . The constitution has labored in Massachusetts exceedingly more 
than was expected. The opposition has not arisen from a consideration 
of the merits or demerits of the thing itself as a political machine, but 
from a deadly principle levelled at the existence of all government what- 
ever. The principle of insurgency expanded, deriving fresh strength and 
life from the impunity with which the rebellion of last year was suffered 
to escape. It is a singular circumstance that in Massachusetts the prop- 
erty, the ability, and the virtue of the State are almost solely in f^vor of 
the constitution. Opposed to it are the late insurgents and all those who 
abetted their designs, constituting four-fifths of the opposition. A few. 
very few indeed, well-meaning people are joined to them. The friends 
of the constitution in that State, without overrating their own importance, 
conceived that the decision of Massachusetts would most probably settle 
the fate of the proposition. They therefore pi-occM'ded most cautiously, 



ESTIMATE OF EXPENDITURES. 563 

and wisely debated every objection witli the most guarded good nature 
and candor, but took no questions on the several paragraphs, and thereby 
prevented the establishment of parties. This conduct has been attended 
with the most beneficial consequences. It is now no secret that, on the 
opening of the Convention, a majority were prejudiced against it. 



ESTIMATE OF ANNUAL EXPENDITURES OF KNOX AND 
FAJkllLY IN NEW YORK, 1785, 1786, AND 1787. 

(IGiox, Mrs. Knox, his brother William, four or jive children, two 
female servants, one girl without wages, and two German hoys, 
indented sei'vants.) 

Daily food, averaged at 205. York currency, per day . . . £365 

House-rent and taxes, including £20 rent of stable . . . 215 

Keeping 2 horses, 4^. per day ... 73 

Repairs of carriage and harness, and shoeing horses ... 15 

Wine 100 

24 extra dinners annually, £5 each 120 

Servants, 2 women at $8 per month 38 8s. 

2 men at the same (for clothing ind. servants) . . 38 8a-. 

Clothing for self and family 100 

Schooling for my children 60 

Furniture 50 

Contingencies, including charities, subscriptions, &c. ... 80 

Fii-ewood 60 

£1,314 16s. 
Salary 980 

£334 16s. 
27 Aug. 1787. 



STRICTURES UPON GENERAL KNOX. 

Mr. Parton, in his paper upon Washington's cabinet in the " Atlantic 
Monthly " for Jan. 1873, does great injustice to the abilities of Knox. 

He asserts that Knox was acquainted with only one subject (war) ; 
that he was not a man of capacious or inquisitive mind ; that he was one 
who must take his opinions from another mind or not have any opinions ; 
that he was in the cabinet of Washington " the giant shadow of his 



m 



564 STRICTURES UPON GENERAL KNOX. 

diminutive friend Hamilton ; " and that his original remedy for the ills of 
the Confederaey was to extinguish the State governments and establish 
an imposing general government with plenty of soldiers to enforce its 
decrees. 

The question naturally arises, How came such a man in Washington's 
cabinet? Did Washington read men so badly that after a fourteen years' 
intimacy in camp and council, having had frequent occasion to test his 
capacity not only as a soldier, but as a diplomatist in conferences with the 
French generals and admirals ; Avith Carleton the British commander ; in 
allaying the discontents of the army and in disbanding it ; and not only 
that, but having witnessed his career as War Secretary for four years 
preceding his presidency, — that after all this experience he could have 
been so egregiously deceived ? How came he to retain him in a position 
for which, according to Mr. Parton, he was so signally unfit? 

This problem admits, after all, of a simple explanation. It is found 
in the hostility of Mr. Jefferson to Knox, arising solely from political 
antagonism, and which Mr. Parton seems to have fully imbibed. This 
bias may still further be accovmtecl foi' by a habit into which Mr. Parton 
has, perhaps unconsciously, fallen, of magnifying and overestimating his 
heroes, and by way of contrast of belittleing and depreciating the char- 
acter and abilities of their political rivals or opponents. The fact that 
such an erroneous judgment could have been made shows conclusively 
the existence of a want which we have endeavored, in the present vol- 
ume, in some slight degree to supply. 

The letters and papers of General Knox render it evident that he was 
well informed not only upon military matters, but that upon such subjects 
as politics, finance, and government, his opinions were sought and 
valued by many of the best minds of the time. If Mr. Parton is right, 
then Rufus King, Judge Marshall, Governor Strong, Alexander Hamil- 
ton, and Washington were all wrong. As an illustration of the capacity 
and originality of Knox, we commend to Mr. Parton's examination his 
plan for a general government (ante, page 559). Many persons who 
read this paper for the first time will be surprised to leain that practically 
the leading outlines of this plan are embodied in our system of govern- 
ment ; and they may also suspect that in those particulars wherein it 
varies from the present form, as in the length of the presidential term 
(seven years) and the choice of president by Congress, rather than by 
the present perverted electoral college system, this narrow-minded man 
of one idea saw nearly a century ago what we are now just beginning to 
see. 

That Hamilton and Knox, the two Federalists in the cabinet, should gen- 
erally agree, is not at all strange ; nor is it strange that such agreement 
should occur with respect to measures to which Jefferson and his anti-federal 



MAR 2 7 



STRICTURES UPON GENERAL KNOX, 565 

colleague, Randolph, were hostile. That they did not always agree was 
evident upon the question whether the French Convention was a legiti- 
mate body, and upon the more vital subject of the establishment of a 
navy, upon both of which questions Knox carried his point against Ham- 
ilton's opposition. It is most certainly true that Knox, in common with 
the great majority of the thinking men of the time, saw and deprecated 
the weakness and imbecility of the Confederation, and earnestly desired 
a government which could make itself respected at home and abroad, 
and which could develop the resources of the country^ and promote 
national unity. To this end he labored assiduously ; and his letters, which 
are replete with sound and practical views upon these great questions, 
furnish a sufficient refutation of such ill-considered judgments as those 
we have pointed out. 



Cambridge : Press of John Wilson and Son. 



u- 



FAC-SIMILE OF AUTOGRAPHS 



ORIGINAL MEMBERS 



SOCIETY OF CINCINNATI 



FOR THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



June 9, 1783. 







r^ 






/L 



/i>y 'O ' '^^. '^ 



■ -JL • ■ 



'^^^/' 





Z^/'^-'V^ Sin:j "i li'.a^^^ 



r,n \!„.:lr, 



.■^-z 

.-■^l 



V .--/(^^^^^/^ %^ 







I, i,;j ' 

I. inn 

Suryion 




<m7^ 









(^//..^^^/.^rA 



- /C ,yK^-r^^^^^-^ 



iiHii (el 

Ens '.' 



W, 







At/'u/ 



pfW^^Wf^ 



Su'ffrcfi 




:.^, *. 






Zvevi 







Ada' err 



ti^n 







Zieiif^ibJ4f.^ 



/i>wP 



rff^*^ Mate 






I.ii'u* 





^'^'^-yHJ^f'''^ 



Jiteu\ 







fni^l 



•v^' 






^^-^ "^•>^'/^'^^ ^^^^-^'^ 



Idea t 



ieut 




:^^^^ 



d:!^-i^^t^^^^ ^7. 



. ^'(ipf^ 






^^ 







liiera 









V 



y 



y^y 



{A 






Iff'.., 



^/-y^ 









/ 




-f'- 



y 






J.i,.,f 






y"/c/i/^^ ,,„^. 



A/- ', 




-^v^- ^^jy^^^Tj^^ 



,y 




„i(L.-^ xi^ t^ '^ 



^ 






_^ 



/w,v/ ' 



''>tf,l 






'^^^^i^if'^f'X.^^ 







'.#jJSSi-' 



A'//,v 'y 




'^■m^Sm^ 









<^ 







liiea! 
rrrpt 

Car- ; 




<''fuJ- 




'^{^'^'^^^ 




^^^^^Tir^^^T-nc/ \/3 ^^f^y 




CapS 



'fm 



n. fieri! 



j,!roi. \ 



Meij. . 



Copt 

Copt- ; r 

Ctipt 

1.1 r, if 
/.Leaf 



ibhs: i 



m 



J^i^uf 



fjieu^ 



'xW. 



to- --ys ■■'-,:■ 



r 




I / 




i-7^y^*^ 



^a^^/zct^ 





^J^^-^'V*^ 



'TU^' 



-? 






^/^'^^yy /Z-t^^^^^ 




Lira!' 
l.iruf 

liifii : 

hifu '■ 



Mai. 

Cap f: 

fhl." 

Lun/ . 






^^i?^^ L^/^^e/O 









y/i<jt /fuity^t is/^at^^ (.^ , 



JJ/ts' 



X' 






^^^^»^-^t^ 



i ti/i 



AV/.v." 



V 
















f^^r^^'^tc^ t^^^^' '^ 



1 






r.( Col" 

Mu/. 
Ma/. 

f/lf/f 

I 

fulfil 
l'uf>! 

hif.vt. 

litru' 
t.it'i,!- 

Jii.Cuf 






/w/,v," 








'^^B^f.^^^y-i^^^^^ 








Maj. 

Ma/. 

r/i/jf 

(Uipt 
htrvt. 

Cop! 




Copf 



U,y€^/t;L7^ciJ c^v^^^r^ 








J'ieu^ 





JjieicP 



-Liei 



--*%>«-9 











^Y^^^>^^U^^y^^ 




X^u .sl^i^^^^^itJ^ 









>vz//. ^.^:y.f /-'.^a:/-^ 



.Sri.rq '7- 

Cap I' 
Cap !'J^i-^^u.^ 




^'^1^^^^ 



—. -■rfi'-'.^V^ 





K^t^^^ 



Cop! /.left'. 








'"»- ^ /?^, . . 











Off! 

/Ml*! Jj(.rirf 







l.iin! 








I,' en J 



%^ C/t C'Ciy:^ 





/H. 



.i^.^>^^'-y o 



/.. /y 






SiJi-^'^^ 




/'r,/l' 



cci': 



f-^^ 



■M^ 




^'fi/jf /./ft,' 

'I 

o o ■ - 



:.4^ ^y^l ^ ^^y^^^tj^i^y^^^ -y 





^ y^'y^ ^^^<^t:>^,^^^-^^ 






//y^\ 



cia^^ 



{l^l(? -TTA-eX^ i/f^/f^ 




I.U.rl 
/'if it' 















I. It,,' 






Miuf 




Y^s^^'iy- 







'"up * / , 



(y-^^ a^P^ Oy^n 










'^x^ <^f.c^^n.ay-C6l^ 








f^k.^/ 



^^^^^^f^^.^iJ''^^^^^,^^ 







Mceu.h 



'JU^- 



rri<" 



J'V' ^n-;;"'?; ^so-^rjM 




<i/>^'V^ 









: ^f^'^^'^^I^Z^f^/Z-^^/ 






IBAp^OB 



I 




•^^'.\,^ ^^^A'=-\<A *>^^'h:'^%^ 

■C<! 






V ^ ^ " " /^ -%> 



\<^^ 















.<^ <5^ 



^^0^ 



0^ , 






5-^ 



%.^^ 

.-.S^ ^ 






■t " 



















6>\ 



*^ K^ °^ -: 



- <.^^ 



^^^^^ 









"\.^^ 

.s^-^ 






.% 









.^^ vV 












Q.. ^0, y 



&' *^ 
















O^'o.y- .^ 



% 



v\^.^-> ^-i 









co^ 



^ 9^ 









<^ -, 



< 






'"Tf!'^^ <f 




*-^^-' ' ^0^ . - SIR - ^ 0^ - SIR - ^0 









^^^ ^^ °./ 



.^^ 



<H o^ 






.^^ -".^^ 



9 % 



:S ^. > ^■la^?' -o .3 ^ , ^llim^' c- ^^c.'s ^ 



a_^^ "^ 



^^ -^ V 









^0. y^ ^ 



o-^ O. 



Cf' 





%, 'o,y^ ^ 9?, ' , X -^ ,\^^ , , 9^ 






^cP<^ 









^•%^^^ 



:%_ 



\# r:^" 






LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




01 1 697 669 9 • 



rt 






